Well if Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin thought the backlash was bad from reports surrounding his questionable use of government planes and his trophy wife’s “Marie Antoinette” social media boondoggle, he’s about the find out that public opinion can always get worse.
Mnuchin probably should have known better than to step in the middle of the increasingly ridiculous feud between Donald Trump and the professional sports community (which started on Friday evening and escalated over the weekend).
For one thing, the whole thing is comically absurd and injecting yourself into comically absurd situations has a way of backfiring in spectacular fashion. But beyond that, people are predisposed to being angry at ol’ Steven right now, so if the administration was looking for someone to trot out to the public, Mnuchin was a bad choice.
Whatever the case, he went on national TV this morning and said this:
Steve Mnuchin: "They can do free speech on their own time.” https://t.co/k2cKbbrH0s #TakeTheKnee pic.twitter.com/KL1zVXMQ4Y
— Matt Wilstein (@mattwilstein) September 24, 2017
Yeah. Clearly, that is an absolute PR disaster.
oh Steven. wrong side of history my friend.
— Heisenberg Report (@heisenbergrpt) September 24, 2017
And this is already going horribly awry for Trump as players kneel across the league in protest.
A multitude of #Ravens and #Jaguars players kneeling during the National Anthem this morning, the rest of the team locking arms in unison pic.twitter.com/c97tPS9PxC
— Ashlyn Sullivan (@ashlynrsullivan) September 24, 2017
NEW: Pittsburgh Steelers to remain in locker room during National Anthem today, ESPN confirms, following Pres. Trump's criticism of protests
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 24, 2017
You can bet this is far from over and Steve Mnuchin just made things immeasurably worse.
You’re reminded that this is a man who flew a government jet to Washington last month following Trump’s infamous Charlottesville presser. That flight cost tax payers $25,000. He also requested a plane for his honeymoon. Here’s his excuse for the August flight:
There are times when I need secure communications to be in touch with the president and the National Security Council. I had a secure call that day that was critical and set up and needed to be done at that time, and that’s why I used the plane.
Looks like his Yale classmates may need to start drafting a new letter.
How much is one minute commercial after the anthem?
I assume munchkin made is comment while on government time.
good point.
Yes but he’s an elite and entitled to steal taxpayer money for his own purposes and say whatever he wants because he matters. Plebs should stay quiet and stop leaching off the state because they don’t matter.
Steve Mnuchin will have to go into “private equity” after his service to the “Fourth Reich” is over. No investment bank or any publicly traded company for that matter, would dare to hire him.
Don’t be so sure…Republicans haven’t really distanced themselves very much from our President yet, and let’s face it, making money is all that matters….
Um yeah, so it is the owners time that they paying the players, and they are supportive, so why doesn’t “Socialist Steve” give it a break.
Trump and his confederacy of dunces (Mnuchin, Huckabee Sanders, etc) in their puerile, ham-fisted, knuckleheaded way, may just succeed in doing the impossible: uniting the American people (against Trump). I’m a huge NBA fan, and up until yesterday Stephen Curry was one of my least favorite players. Today I’m looking at Curry in an entirely different light.
Still can’t stand Draymond Green, though….
If “absurdity” and or “crazy” were flame like, Trump is definitely a moth – hopefully with the same results.