Steven Mnuchin named US treasury secretary
Wall Street veteran with ties to Hollywood confirms he has been appointed by Trump; Wilbur Ross confirms commerce job
Steven Mnuchin, a Wall Street veteran with ties to Hollywood, said Wednesday that President-elect Donald Trump has named him to be US Treasury secretary.
Mnuchin and billionaire Wilbur Ross were asked in an interview with CNBC whether they could confirm that they had been named to head the Treasury and Commerce departments, respectively.
“We can, indeed. We’re thrilled to be here and we’re thrilled to work for the president-elect and honored to have these positions,” Mnuchin said.
Mnuchin, who is Jewish and in his mid-50s, made his fortune as a banker for Goldman Sachs and worked as Trump’s national finance chairman during the campaign with the aim of raising more than $1 billion for the candidate.
Trump and Mnuchin have been friends for 15 years, and prior to being in charge of Trump’s campaign finances, Mnuchin served as an adviser.
Part of what The New York Times describes as one of Manhattan’s elite “most influential families,” Mnuchin and his father both became wealthy working at Goldman Sachs. The younger Mnuchin also co-founded the entertainment company RatPac-Dune Entertainment, which worked on such Hollywood hits as “Avatar” and “Black Swan.”