Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin spoke confidently in a conversation with Axios' Mike Allen on Friday, at one point saying that President Trump has "perfect genes" and "incredible energy." He also revealed his ambitious plan to execute tax reform by the summer.
"He has perfect genes," Mnuchin said, forcing the room to laugh.
Allen asked Mnuchin to elaborate on this claim.
"He has perfect genes," the Treasury secretary repeated. "He has incredible energy, okay, and he's unbelievably healthy."
Mnuchin was bold in his first high-profile interview in the nation's capital Friday. He touched on a range of subjects, from Trump's diet to his favorite movies.
"Since he got to the White House, he doesn't eat KFC anymore or McDonald's," Mnuchin explained. "There's great food there. The chefs there are great."
Mnuchin, who said he "helped the president think through his economic programs" during the presidential campaign, seemed quite impressed with the way his boss' was handling his new job. He said that walking into the Oval Office is "really no different than walking into his office in Trump Tower." He then proposed — somewhat sarcastically — that they should put Trump on the "thousand dollar bill."
Near the end of the interview, Allen asked Mnuchin some questions about his former career as a movie producer. Allen asked Mnuchin, also a former Wall Street investor, if he had seen the "Wolf of Wall Street." The treasury secretary said it was "a complete misrepresentation." Allen followed up by asking if he had seen "The Big Short," a movie about the 2008 financial collapse. Incidentally, Mnuchin made a profit off the foreclosure crisis. Mnuchin said "The Big Short" was also "a complete misrepresentation."
Allen then asked the treasury secretary if there were any new film out right now that the audience should see. To which the Mnuchin responded: "Send your kids to 'Lego Batman.'"
The comment would seem to be a violation of the federal ethics code Kellyanne Conway broke when she promoted Ivanka Trump's brand on Fox News. Mnuchin did qualifie his answer to Allen's question beforehand, however, by saying this:
"I'm not allowed to promote anything I am involved in . . . I just want the legal disclosure that I am not promoting any product . . . But you should send your kids to Lego Batman."
As for as policy, Mnuchin said he hoped to get 'comprehensive' tax reform done by Congress' August recess.
Shares