Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has played a balancing act trying to reassure nervous investors that the U.S. would maintain its global leadership role while staying true to the Trump administration’s skepticism of multilateral banking organizations.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke Wednesday to international economists attending IMF and World Bank spring meetings in Washington D.C. this week, telling them the Trump administration wants to overhaul these institutions to create a more "sustainable international economic system.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent leveled harsh criticism at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund Wednesday, saying "mission creep" and devoting "disproportionate time" to climate change, gender and social issues has caused the institutions to fall short.