Donald Trump swept to power last year on the back of the promise to ‘drain the swamp’, a commitment to rid Washington of the kinds of politicians who are out-of-touch with ordinary Americans.
But now the wife of Donald Trump’s Treasury Secretary has been accused of acting like Marie Antoinette after unleashing a ‘let them eat cake’-style rant on Instagram where she boasted about her wealth and belittled those less well off.
Louise Linton, a 36-year-old Scottish-born actress, who married Trump apointee Steven Mnuchin in June, posted and then deleted a photo of her and her husband as they walked off an Air Force jet on Monday.
In the glamorous shot, Linton tagged a series of designers she was wearing - most notably #hermesscarf - before essaying the “self sacrifice” she has made as a higher tax payer.
After facing criticism from an Instagram user, Linton responded with a long comment filled with tone-deaf attacks - and swiftly switched her account to private after facing an online backlash.
In the now-deleted post, Linton and Mnuchin are photographed stepping off the military jet as they apparently landed in Kentucky. The caption on her Instagram post read:
“Great #daytrip to #Kentucky! #nicest #people #beautiful #countryside #rolandmouret pants #tomford sunnies, #hermesscarf #valentinorockstudheels #valentino #usa”
An Instagram user, called “Jenni M,” responded to Linton’s post and said:
“Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable”
Linton’s response to Jenni M came after she appeared to examine her Instagram feed, making note of her family and children:
“@Jennimiller29 cute!....Aw!! Did you think this was a personal trip?! Adorable! Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol. Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country? I’m pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day “trip” than you did. Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you’d be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours. You’re adorably out of touch. Thanks for the passive aggressive nasty comment. Your kids look very cute. Your life looks cute. I know you’re mad but deep down you’re really nice and so am I. Sending me passive aggressive Instagram comments isn’t going to make life feel better. Maybe a nice message, one filled with wisdom and hunanity [SIC] would get more traction. Have a pleasant evening. Go chill out and watch the new game of thrones. It’s fab!”
Despite Trump’s promise to rid the White House of ‘elitists’, the US President has faced criticism for appointing Wall Street bankers and political lifers to his top team. Mnuchin, who served as the finance chair of Trump’s presidential campaign, is a former Goldman Sachs executive.
The commenter, Jenni Miller, a 45-year-old mother-of-three from Portland, Oregon, told the New York Times: “If she hadn’t made her account private, I would have written back with a very snide Marie Antoinette joke.”
Others felt the same ...
In 2016, Linton came under fire for her self-published memoir, In Congo’s Shadow, which detailed her time as a student in Zambia. In July of 2016, Zambians, and their advocates, criticised Linton’s portrayal of Zambia as a war-torn, poverty-stricken nation with wild animals running through the streets. Linton was also criticised for portraying herself as a white saviour. Under pressure, Linton withdrew the book from sale and pledged to give any proceeds to charity.
Mnuchin and Linton were in Kentucky on Monday to tour Fort Knox, which holds the federal government’s $200 billion gold reserves.