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The Treasury Secretary of the United States was abruptly pulled from a live Sky News interview after President Donald Trump summoned him to the Situation Room.

Scott Bessent appeared unsettled when he returned, prompting critics to highlight his shaken demeanor. The interruption came while he was speaking with The Master Investor host Wilfred Frost.

“Sorry, the President wants you right away,” an off-camera aide told Bessent. He removed his microphone, turned to the aide, and left the set. Bessent departed just before 10:30 a.m. on Thursday and returned shortly after noon, according to Sky News.

When Bessent sat back down, Frost pointed out the unusual moment, saying it was the first time an interviewee had to leave to visit the Situation Room. “How was the President? Was he stressed?” the host asked.

“Uh, no, the President is in great spirits,” Bessent replied.

He added, “The Iranian mission is proceeding well ahead of schedule. And I have to tell you, Will, that I’ve a teenager who’s considering, uh, military service. And I could give this team my highest compliment. From President Trump to the head of the Joint Chiefs to the Secretary of War, I would say that I would trust my child’s life in their hands.”

Online reactions to Bessent’s return were harsh. Some noted that his body language and voice suggested distress. One user said, “Doesn’t take an ‘expert’ to notice he was rattled. Disturbing.” Another remarked, “See how he says everything is fine while shaking his head no.”

Critics highlighted the unusual tone of his remarks. “That wasn’t a normal call. Bessent’s voice cracked, he stuttered, and he over explained like a man trying to convince himself everything is fine,” a post read. 

Another comment added, “You could hear his voice shaking. He was trying to sell the war but wasn’t believing the words out of his own mouth.”

Reactions also noted the surreal nature of his return. “Maybe he was summoned to change Donald’s diaper, it would explain his behaviour afterwards,” one user quipped. Another compared his demeanor to everyday embarrassment, writing, “That man came back looking like he just saw the group chat after leaving his phone unlocked at dinner.”

Some focused on Bessent’s attempt to frame the situation positively. “Dude came back on camera to convince Americans to support teens deployment to the war,” a reaction read.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to sign an executive order establishing the city’s first Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs at the Brooklyn Community Pride Center in Crown Heights. 

The move coincides with the appointment of attorney Taylor Brown as the office’s inaugural director, making her the first transgender person to lead a New York City office or agency.

In a statement shared with Out and The Advocate, Mamdani said that the city “will refuse to deny healthcare, safety, or dignity to anyone on the basis of their identity. With Taylor Brown as Director of the new Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs, the city’s queer community will not only be celebrated, but protected at every turn.”

Brown also released a statement, noting her commitment to the role. “New York has given me everything, life-saving health care, education, a home, a career, my chosen family, and a life of purpose. I will work every day to ensure that the doors of New York City remain open to all and to continue New York City’s legacy as a beacon of opportunity and hope for those who have been ignored, discriminated against, and intentionally excluded,” she said.

She added, “Thank you to Mayor Mamdani, Deputy Mayor Su, and Commissioner Attah-Mensah, whom I look forward to working alongside, for this extraordinary opportunity to serve the people of New York.”

Brown’s career has focused on advancing constitutional and statutory protections for transgender individuals, with an emphasis on healthcare access, prisoner rights, education, and employment. Before this appointment, she worked as an assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Bureau of the New York State Attorney General’s Office.

The Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs is intended to coordinate municipal resources and initiatives for LGBTQIA+ residents. The office will oversee equality guidelines, ensure other city agencies do not engage in discrimination based on gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation, and develop resources to uphold sanctuary protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals.

North Korea has fired approximately 10 unidentified ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Saturday, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) has said, days after Pyongyang warned of “terrible consequences” over South Korea-US military exercises.

Seoul’s military reported that the missiles were launched from the Sunan area in North Korea toward the East Sea. The JCS confirmed the launch in an official statement. 

Japan’s defence ministry also verified the launch, posting on its official X account that “what is possibly a ballistic missile was launched from North Korea.”

The missile launches follow North Korea’s rejection of recent diplomatic efforts by Seoul, describing them as a “clumsy, deceptive farce.”

South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said earlier that US President Donald Trump believes a meeting with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un would be “good.” 

Washington DC has maintained efforts for decades to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear programme, but summits, sanctions, and diplomatic pressure have had limited impact.

The Trump administration has sought to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang, aiming for a possible summit with Kim Jong Un later this year, potentially during Trump’s April visit to Beijing. 

During an Asia trip in October, Trump had said he was “100 percent” open to meeting Kim Jong Un, a remark that received no response from North Korea. Pyongyang recently suggested that the two countries could “get along” if the United States accepted its nuclear status.

Last month, Kim Jong Un stated that North Korea had “absolutely no business dealing with South Korea, its most hostile entity, and will permanently exclude South Korea from the category of compatriots.”

Seoul and Washington began their springtime military drills, “Freedom Shield,” on Monday, involving about 18,000 South Korean troops. The exercises will continue until March 19. North Korea has long criticised such drills, calling them rehearsals for invasion.

Earlier this week, Kim Yo Jong, a senior official and sister of Kim Jong Un, warned that the joint drills “may cause unimaginably terrible consequences.” She added that they are taking place “at a critical time when global security structure is collapsing rapidly and wars break out in different parts of the world,” and said the situation was caused by “the reckless acts of the outrageous international rogues.”

Pyongyang also condemned the US-Israeli attack on Iran, calling it an “illegal act of aggression” and citing it as evidence of the “rogue” nature of the United States.