Bessent's Yen Buy Plan Sparks Controversy

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's notepad from a Camp David Cabinet meeting has sparked controversy after it was revealed that he left out a 'to-do' list reminding him to buy Japanese Yen, worth $5-10 billion. The photo of the note was taken over his shoulder during an on-the-record portion of the meeting and showed no other words besides the reminder.

According to Bloomberg, the US Treasury did indeed buy yen on Friday to support the Japanese currency. This marks Washington's first yen-buying intervention with Tokyo in more than a decade, as the currency languishes near 40-year lows.

Critics have called Bessent 'a joker' and accused him of leaving the note out for the media to photograph. Bloomberg opinion columnist Gearoid Reidy described it as 'the most on-purpose thing ever.'

This is not the first time Bessent has used his notepad to telegraph a message to the media. In May, he wrote and underlined the word 'resilience' on a notepad during a Cabinet meeting.