Louise Linton, once simply known for being Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s wife, has stepped back into the spotlight—to tell her side of the story.
Linton became infamous last month after getting into an argument on Instagram with a woman who criticized a post that included hashtags of designer brands she was wearing in the photo, calling it “deplorable.” In an interview with Washington Life magazine, Linton spoke out for the first time since the event.
Calling her post and the following response “indefensible,” Linton said that she wished she could take it all back, noting that she had never deigned to replying to criticism on social media in the past and didn’t know why she chose to respond this time. She told the publication that she had “no place to talk about sacrifice when there are millions of men and women making real sacrifices for this country every day.”
Linton, who the publication highlighted wore leggings and a sweatshirt during the interview, said that “the social media Louise of that week was not me.” She claims she was trying to portray a certain public image in her post, rather than emphasize the things she cares about, calling it a “moment of weakness and misdirection.” The everyday Linton is a “no makeup girl,” “barefoot in gym clothes working on films and animal welfare.”
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While Linton offered her sincere apologies, she also conceded that she will wear fancy clothes again, as necessitated by her role as the Treasury Secretary’s wife. “I see the irony of making an apology in a ball gown. But it would be dishonest to proclaim that I’m never going to go to another social function,” she said. “In a ball gown or a pair of jeans” Linton hopes that in the future, her work to support various causes will be recognized, as opposed to what or who she’s wearing.