- Louise Linton, the 37-year-old model and actress married to US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, ridiculed an Instagram commenter in September.
- The incident led to lots of bad publicity for Linton, and now she’s seeking a fresh start.
Louise Linton, the 37-year-old model and actress married to US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, described her now-infamous Instagram feud as a “knee jerk” reaction, and apologized for her behavior in an interview with Elle magazine.
“I think after being kicked and slapped on social media a billion times, I had this one time,” Linton said told writer Carrie Battan. “This lady said I was a deplorable human being, and that hurt.”
Linton was widely criticized after posting an Instagram photo of her disembarking an Air Force jet in September with the caption: “Great #daytrip to #Kentucky!”
After one commenter accused Linton and Mnuchin of using government funds to pay for their “little getaway,” Linton replied: “Aw!!! Did you think this was a personal trip?! Adorable! Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol.”
“I’m pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day ‘trip’ than you did,” Linton continued. “Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you’d be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours.”
Linton said she felt like a “regular person” after reading the triggering comment, and as such, felt that “when someone says something mean to you on social media, regular people are allowed to respond.”
“I felt like the kid on the playground that has been so bullied, and finally you punch back,” Linton said, according to Elle.
After her initial reaction, Linton said she realized her actions were “so stupid” and wished she “could take it back.”
“I wasn’t thinking about who I am,” Linton said in Elle. “I wasn’t thinking, I am the wife of this person and thus I should act like the wife of this person.”
Linton has since removed the Instagram photo and called the incident “a life-changing event.”
“Since this happened I’ve been researching social issues in my community and reading the heartbreaking stories of peoples’ experiences with homelessness and abuse,” she said in a Washington Life interview in September. “This has truly opened my eyes and humbled me.”
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