President Donald Trump on Friday ruled out Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for the newly created "Super Intelligence (SI) Czar" role, dismissing recent speculation as "fake news."

In a Truth Social post, Trump stated that Bessent would not take the job because he "doesn't want to." The President emphasized that Bessent is performing well in his current capacity, adding, "he's doing such a great job at Treasury, and that's where I want to keep him."

Context of the new role

The remarks come amid multiple media reports speculating that Bessent’s name was being floated for the position. Trump unveiled the role last week as part of a plan to rebrand artificial intelligence as "Super Intelligence," or "SI." He has compared the proposed "AI Force" to the Space Force, which he created during his first term, though he has not explained how the new organization would operate.

Bessent’s policy influence

Bessent has been one of the administration’s most prominent voices on AI policy this year. His work has focused on supporting U.S. competitiveness while highlighting cybersecurity risks.

Key initiatives include:

• Proposing a U.S.-China AI notification framework ahead of Trump’s meeting with President Xi Jinping.
• Accusing Chinese companies in July of allegedly stealing proprietary data from U.S. AI models.
• Warning Wall Street CEOs about cyber risks from Anthropic’s new AI model.

Leadership turnover

The vacancy follows the departure of several key figures in the administration's tech advisory circle. Venture capitalist David Sacks previously held a similar AI and crypto czar post before leaving the White House. Senior adviser Sriram Krishnan also departed in June, adding to the turnover among Trump’s AI advisers.

Dozens of US oil refining and business groups have urged President Trump to reject any effort to impose a ban on diesel exports. This move comes as US Treasury Secretary Bessent stated that the administration is examining the feasibility of such a restriction.

Policy review under way

Bessent confirmed that the administration is actively reviewing the possibility of restricting diesel exports, with feasibility as the central consideration. No decision or timeline was indicated in his statement.

The new development introduces significant industry opposition to the potential policy. The letter, cited by Reuters, represents a coordinated push by major sector stakeholders to prevent the implementation of export controls.