Linton: Let Them Eat Cake!

Actress Louise Linton, who married Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in June, recently posted  a photo of herself and her husband as they walked off an Air Force jet-- and took the opportunity to pretend she was in a fashion shoot, tagging all of luxury and designer items she was wearing.

A random Instagram user named "Jenni M” innocuously responded to Linton’s post saying, “Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable."   Linton immediately overreacted-- and putting on her best Marie Antoinette impression, responded with a scathing, elitist attack:

“@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 would get more traction. Have a pleasant evening. Go chill out and watch the new game of thrones. It’s fab!”

Linton’s tirade comes at a time when her husband is under attack by Trump loyalists for his lack of populist credentials.  But this is not the first time Linton has has stirred controversy over her elitist point of view. 

Last year, Linton came under fire for her self-published memoir, "In Congo’s Shadow", which detailed her 1999 stint as a student volunteer in Zambia. Linton’s portrayal of Zambia as a war-torn, poverty-stricken nation with wild animals running through the streets was widely criticized across the globe. In what was popularly labeled as "white savior fantasy", Linton claimed that violence between the warring Hutu and Tutsi people had spilled from the Congo into Zambia, forcing her to spend one night hiding in the bush. The Washington Post said that Linton “deploys, with maximum flourish, just about every lazy trope there is when it comes to writing about Africa."    According to one Twitter user, the only thing missing from the book was Tarzan and Mowgli.  Under pressure, Linton withdrew the book from sale and pledged to give any proceeds to charity.

In a public statement today, Linton apologized for her recent tirade and took her Instagram account private.