In a new profile in Elle, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s wife Louise Linton continued her apology tour, while the Trump cabinet member said his wife is just ‘misunderstood.’
‘She has a huge heart, is sensitive deeply compassionate, and kind. She has humility and gentleness. She’s also funny and makes people laugh,’ Mnuchin said. ‘She loves gadgets and has a bird feeder in the backyard. She reads John Stuart Mill and writes notes in the margins of her books.’
He ended the list by saying that Linton, who he married in June, is ‘incredibly warn and loving.’
However, Linton’s antics on Instagram – along with the gloved photo of she and the treasury secretary holding up brand new cash – have led to comparisons to Darth Vader, Marie Antoinette, Cruella de Vil, or a new Bond villain.
The Scottish actress turned political wife pointed to this transition when explaining how things went wrong.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (left) defended his wife, actress Louise Linton (right), calling her funny, warm, loving and noting that she likes to read John Stuart Mill and has a birdfeeder in the backyard
Louise Linton (left) explained that this much-memed moment happened because she was cold, and thus kept on her gloves, while also attempting to be more fashionable, like Jackie O
Louise Linton looked to fellow actresses when following how to act, with many of them tagging designer brands. She did the same thing, which caused an Instagram user to call her out. Linton’s reaction to the negative comment went viral
Louise Linton was angered that the commenter called her a ‘deplorable’ and lashed out, making the suggestion that she and Mnuchin, who are immensely wealthy, ‘sacrifice’ more to the country than the woman in question
‘I wasn’t thinking about who I am,’ Linton said. ‘I wasn’t thinking, I am the wife of this person and thus I should act like the wife of this person.’
Linton had turned to pop culture in order to figure out how to behave.
‘I was tagging things [on Instagram] because I thought I had seen other actresses doing that, and I was like, I should do that, too. I should be more fashionable. I need to play that role; I need to be more elegant; I need to be more stylish,’ Linton explained.
‘I look at amazing fashion icons like Jackie O and I’m like, “Why can’t I wear gloves?”‘
Well, tag things on Instagram and wear gloves she did, which led to the two most notorious moments of Linton’s life since relocating to Washington, D.C.
On Instagram, Linton was called out for her designer garb as she deplaned from a government jet.
The actress didn’t take the criticism well.
‘I think after being kicked and slapped on social media a billion times, I had this one time. This lady said I was a deplorable human being, and that hurt,’ Linton said, calling her response – in which she suggested her wealth, and with it a higher tax burden, meant she sacrificed more for the country – ‘a knee-jerk reaction.’
‘I was feeling like a regular person. And regular people, when someone says something mean to you social media, regular people are allowed to respond,’ she added.
But Linton, who grew up in a Scottish castle and now resides in a $12.6 million Massachusetts Avenue Heights mansion, is nowhere near middle income.
And so things were made worse when she showed up to the U.S. mint and held up sheets of cash alongside Mnuchin, wearing her long, black leather gloves.
‘I just didn’t bother taking the gloves off because it was kind of cold in the bureau,’ she said. ‘And I didn’t expect I would be pulled into the picture!’ she added to Elle.
All that being said, the profile suggests that Linton is finally settling into D.C.
The author points out that most people who work for Trump know they could get fired any day as the president has the highest turnover rate for employees of any Oval Office occupant in decades.
Linton knew that and sounded frustrated. ‘Especially because I just finished decorating my house, and I just started making friends in D.C.,’ she said.
But the upside is that she could again wear those leather gloves and black skirt.
‘I really hope someday I can wear that outfit again,’ she told Elle. ‘Because I really liked it.’