The US Treasury chief, Steven Mnuchin, has sparked a wave of criticism and mockery after photos appeared of him and his wife, Louise Linton, holding up a sheet of new dollar bills.

Mnuchin was visiting the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to see production of the new dollar bills, which will bear his signature for the first time.

The couple have previously been targeted for the way they spend money.

They were heavily criticised in September when it emerged that he had asked for the use of a US air force plane to fly him and his wife around Europe for their honeymoon.



Linton apologised in the same month for an Instagram post earlier in the year, in which she had tagged a series of designer clothes producers in an image of her stepping off a government plane.

Responding to comments underneath the post, Linton replied to a post saying: “Glad we could pay for your little getaway” with the questions: “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?”

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s director, Leonard Olijar, with Linton and Mnuchin. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Social media users jumped at the chance to mock the couple for appearing with the cash.

Find someone who looks at you the way Louise Linton looks at Steve Mnuchin holding a sheet of dollar bills with his name on them pic.twitter.com/3fGXmJti6c — Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) November 15, 2017

Louise Linton holds the great love of her life. Also pictured, her husband #StevenMnuchin. — peter feliks bez (@pfeliks) November 15, 2017

People summed up how careless the couple, and their PR advisers, seemed to be about the reaction the photoshoot would get.

Coms dept: We need to come off relatable so we can pass this tax cut



Steve Mnuchin: SAY NO MORE pic.twitter.com/Fa2vhshMx1 — Grad School Imposter (@darinself) November 15, 2017

you cannot parody these folks pic.twitter.com/PfDXB0qXTp — southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) November 15, 2017

Linton’s outfit, complete with black gloves, was compared to the villain Judge Doom from the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Everyone's focused on Steve Mnuchin & the sheet of money but no one's talking about how his wife has been murdering Toons in The Dip. pic.twitter.com/iTcJlXKcS6 — Johnny McNulty (@JohnnyMcNulty) November 15, 2017

Other people felt the couple looked like Star Wars villains.

why is louise linton dressed like kylo ren pic.twitter.com/lKJRz2GhXy — Joon Lee (@iamjoonlee) November 15, 2017

Or Darth Maul pic.twitter.com/PUE0FPsoNv — Alan Sandoval (@AlanSandoval13) November 15, 2017

One person referred back to Linton’s Instagram tagging controversy.

Beating Louise Linton to the Instagram punch... pic.twitter.com/PKkpkcKNS7 — The Smoking Gun (@tsgnews) November 15, 2017

Linton previously courted controversy when her memoir of her time in Zambia had to be withdrawn from sale after it was found to be riddled with inaccuracy.

The new dollar bills bearing Mnuchin’s signature, and that of the US Treasurer Jovita Carranza, are expected to go into circulation in December.