Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his wife, Louise Linton, hold up a sheet of new $1 bills, the first currency notes bearing his and U.S. Treasurer Jovita Carranza's signatures on Nov. 15 at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo Mnuchin: 'I didn’t realize' viral dollar bill photo would go public

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin explained Sunday why he and his wife, Louise Linton, struck a villainous pose with a sheet of dollar bills: He didn’t think the pictures would be public.

“I didn’t realize that the pictures were public and going on the internet and viral,” Mnuchin told host Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday.” “But people have the right to do that. People can express what they want. That’s the great thing about social media today. People can say and communicate what they want.”


An Associated Press photographer captured Mnuchin and Linton posing with the sheet of dollar bills — the first to include Mnuchin’s signature — at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing last week.

The photographer, Jacquelyn Martin, recounted her experience for AP. Once Mnuchin invited Linton to join the photo op, she wrote, “I knew for sure this image would get some interest” and “had a feeling that this would take off.”

“I’m not really sure how they didn’t think that” the photos would be public, the wire-service photographer told Brian Stelter on CNN later Sunday. “I think it was pretty obvious it was a media photo op.”

“Some folks — and I’m looking at the picture here, which you can’t see — say that you two look like two villains from a James Bond movie,” Wallace said. “I’m sure you’ve heard that. I guess my question is: What were you thinking?”

Mnuchin said he heard that criticism and “never thought I’d be quoted as looking like villains” from a Bond movie.

“I guess I should take that as a compliment that I look like a villain in a great, successful James Bond movie. But let me just say, I was very excited of having my signature on the money,” he added. “It’s obviously a great privilege and a great honor and something I’m very proud of.”

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The new bills are expected to go into circulation next month. Mnuchin’s signature, however, will appear differently than those of past Treasury secretaries because his is printed, while his predecessors signed their names.

Mnuchin said he changed his signature because it was “very, very messy” and “barely” legible.

“It was very effective at signing things, but I felt since it was gonna be on the dollar bill forever, I should have a nice, clean signature,” he said.