On a tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing today, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his wife Louise Linton couldn’t resist posing for a quick pic. Holding up a sheet of brand new $1 bills, which now bear Mnuchin’s name, a look of utter serenity seemed to come over the couple. At last, they were not merely rolling in money, but the Mnuchin name was now officially emblazoned on American bills!
While it’s certain that Mnuchin and Linton were enjoying their charming errand, no one was loving it more than the people of Twitter.
There were straight-forward “screw the rich” jabs:
Picking out wallpaper for the cognac-swirling room pic.twitter.com/gAqp6wostD
— Andy Richter (@AndyRichter) November 15, 2017
Beautiful photo of Louise Linton with the love of her life and also Steven Mnuchin pic.twitter.com/MOfKzrF9u1
— Jason O. Gilbert (@gilbertjasono) November 15, 2017
And there were references to the couples’ past behavior which has given them a reputation for ostentatiousness. Several months ago, Steven Mnuchin was called out for excessive use of a private jet for government business. And around the same time, Laura Linton went on a Marie Antoinette-like Instagram feud, arguing that people should be thankful for the generous amounts she and Mnuchin pay in taxes.
Washington Post journalist Christopher Ingraham tweeted:
Mnuchin: We need to fight the perception that we’re just a couple of out-of-touch plutocrats
Treasury PR person: Hold on boss I’ve got just the thing pic.twitter.com/uFT2vGzujw— Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) November 15, 2017
Some people also noted the irony of the picture’s timing, smack in the middle of the battle over the Republican tax plan, which will disproportionately benefit wealthy Americans:
Donald Trump wants to give these people a massive tax cut. They don’t need one. pic.twitter.com/kvsI90HGEe
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) November 15, 2017
One currency-related question was left up in the air during Mnuchin’s visit today. The Treasury Secretary did not address whether the Trump administration plans to reverse an Obama-era decision to replace Andrew Jackson with Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. During his presidential campaign, Trump had criticized the proposal, calling it “pure political correctness.” Then, he hung a portrait of Andrew Jackson in the Oval Office.
It seems unlikely that such a progressive idea as an African American woman on the twenty will gain traction under this regressive administration.
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