People are dunking on an old Steve Mnuchin video about the $1,200 stimulus checks
When you're worth $400 million, folks are going to be *quick* to jump on you when you look out of touch. Thus, the internet pounced all over Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday for a somewhat misleading clip where he talked about the $1,200 coronavirus stimulus payments.
The video came from a late-March appearance on CBS's Face the Nation, during which Mnuchin talked about the entire stimulus plan from President Donald Trump — a plan that included small-business loans and enhanced unemployment insurance as well as the stimulus checks.
"I think the entire package provides economic relief overall for about 10 weeks," Mnuchin said on CBS. "Hopefully we will kill this virus quicker and we won't need it, but we have liquidity to put into the American economy to support American workers and American business."
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So Mnuchin wasn't exactly saying Americans could last ten weeks on $1,200, but he was touting the administration's plan, which leaned heavily on those checks. Some folks were quick to jump on the idea that Mnuchin — who is, again, worth hundreds of millions of dollars — didn't quite understand normal Americans' needs during this crisis.
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez lobbed a classic Arrested Development joke at him, tweeting: "t’s your monthly rent, Michael. What could it cost? $10?"
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"Marie Antoinette came back as a man," quipped Marianne Williamson on Twitter.
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The internet previously has dunked on Mnuchin for his seeming insensitivity about money. Back in November 2017 he and his wife Louise Linton became a ridiculous meme after they were pictured holding sheets of money.
Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).
