A tweet by The Hill is generating plenty of outrage online Thursday afternoon, after the site reported on a CNBC interview with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Look at the nerve of this guy:
Mnuchin: I may scrap plan to put Harriet Tubman on $20 bill https://t.co/1w9lgfO1MO pic.twitter.com/snhvf7ZwDh
— The Hill (@thehill) August 31, 2017
There’s only one problem with that tweet.
https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/903307242388279297
Not only is that not what he said — it’s not even close.
https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/903308869581012992
https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/903349304915570688
This is not remotely what Mnuchin said. pic.twitter.com/3gldexjsTE
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) August 31, 2017
"What do you want for dinner?"
"Oh, I'm not sure yet."
BREAKING: Alex Griswold: I Might Starve to Death
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) August 31, 2017
According to a transcript from CNN, when asked about plans to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, he told CNBC, “Ultimately we will be looking at this issue, [but] It’s not something that I’m focused on at the moment.” Mnuchin said his current priority was bolstering the anti-counterfeiting features built into paper currency.
Here’s CNBC’s own spin on the story:
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin just put Harriet Tubman's role on the $20 bill in question https://t.co/r4OHHkUVpX
— CNBC (@CNBC) August 31, 2017
So here we go again: the Obama administration had eight full years to replace Andrew Jackson with Harriet Tubman on the $20 if that really was a priority. But it didn’t happen. People complained the original proposal, which was to put a woman on the $10 — was sexist; who carries tens anymore? That was tantamount to an insult.
Finally, in April of the final year of Obama’s presidency, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew made the big announcement:
UPDATE: Treasury official confirms that Sec. Lew plans to announce today that Harriet Tubman will be on the $20 https://t.co/4rgV2px4LB
— CNBC (@CNBC) April 20, 2016
In December, it was reported that Lew planned to “release early images of the redesigned $20 featuring Harriet Tubman “in an effort to pressure the Trump Administration away from reversing their plans.'” Nothing like waiting until the last minute.
That’s not very effective leadership, is it; instead, some other pet project no one had mentioned during Obama’s first term, like the removal of Confederate symbols from the Capitol, was dumped onto the Hillary Clinton Donald Trump administration to complete. And if Trump doesn’t pick up and run with Obama’s leftovers, well …
I really, really, REALLY don't like these ppl… https://t.co/8jYiWc1lNg
— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) August 31, 2017
I'm running out of outrage. This Mnuchin guy is one of the worst in the Trump regime, and that's saying something. He has no soul. https://t.co/Arbr0v2YJL
— Amy Siskind ?️? (@Amy_Siskind) August 31, 2017
I have no vomit left for these people. https://t.co/EQxu9fRWYp
— Jeffrey Wright (@jfreewright) August 31, 2017
https://twitter.com/Toure/status/903326257433235456
Trump defends Confederate statues & takes back recognition of Harriet Tubman. That'd be bad even if they didn't already seem racist https://t.co/ar9QX7nndA
— Jonathan Riley (@realJonRiley) August 31, 2017
“Takes back recognition of Harriet Tubman?” Does anyone remember anything? The Obama administration just wanted a woman on currency and even put the question out to the public for suggestions (like Beyoncé). It took forever just to settle on Harriet Tubman, and now everyone seems to treat it as though Trump is burning piles of printed twenties that feature her image. All Mnuchin said was is, “We’ll be looking at it.”
When “anti-racism strategist” Tariq Nasheed’s tweet could easily be confused with your straight news headline, there’s a big problem.
The white supremacist Trump administration might put the brakes on commemorating Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill #notshocked https://t.co/5tPsPfzm88
— Tariq Nasheed ?? (@tariqnasheed) August 31, 2017
Further proof that racism is alive and thriving throughout the Trump admin.
??? https://t.co/r7e0UdFahW— Haught's Heart ? ? – Kindness is the way ? (@HaughtsHeart) August 31, 2017
https://twitter.com/BanditRandom/status/903334237683646464
Day by day, all the progress made over last decade is being inched backwards, stealthily, quietly, gleefully. https://t.co/JwdaLVwQqv
— Sharon Allen (@emmaline1221) August 31, 2017
Seriously, though; if that’s your feeling, take a good, critical look at the Obama administration and all the progress it promised, and all the progress on which it actually delivered.
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Related:
What feminist victory? Politico reveals the hidden sexism of featuring a woman on the $10 bill http://t.co/GTQof1ri0u
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) June 25, 2015
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