Steve Mnuchin Tells Yale Classmates: I’m Not Quitting On Trump
Image by Getty Images
Urged by his Yale University classmates to resign as treasury secretary following President Donald Trump’s response to a white nationalist protest, Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday he would stay in office and that Trump “in no way, shape or form” equates neo-Nazis with peaceful protesters.
Mnuchin stood beside the president at a Tuesday news conference as Trump blamed violence in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend on not just white nationalist rally organizers but also counter-protesters, and said there were “very fine people” among both groups.
A letter, dated Aug. 18 and signed by more than 350 members of the Yale class of 1985, argued it was Mnuchin’s “moral obligation to resign” immediately.
Mnuchin issued a statement on Saturday responding to his classmates.
“I strongly condemn the actions of those filled with hate and with the intent to harm others,” he said. “They have no defense from me nor do they have any defense from the president or this administration.”
Mnuchin, who is Jewish, added: “While I find it hard to believe I should have to defend myself on this, or the president, I feel compelled to let you know that the president in no way, shape or form, believes that neo-Nazi and other hate groups who endorse violence are equivalent to groups that demonstrate in peaceful and lawful ways.”—Reuters
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
