Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin asked the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) not to post a recording of a talk he participated in after protestors heckled him for being “full of shit,” The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
Mnuchin visited UCLA on Monday to participate in a discussion about the economy at the Burkle Center for International Relations. However, his talk was frequently interrupted by students who hissed, booed and frequently interrupted him as he spoke to Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal.
Video captured by ABC also appeared to show at least one protester getting removed from the audience by police after protesting from the audience and accusing the government of “punishing … black and brown people in the inner cities.”
An officer can be seen picking up an audience member and carrying them away from the crowd, as another person in the audience stands and shouts that the government’s tax bill “is going after people who are vulnerable.”
“This is politics of fascism,” the protester shouted. “And where is this money gonna go to? To the military? To creating more nuclear weapons? To bomb more people around the world?” She asked, before also being led away by police, a moment captured in another video shared on social media by a student.
Steve Mnuchin being called on his plutocratic BS at UCLA. Enemy of the people! Foreclosed on 36,000 people and helped pass the biggest corporate tax cut in history
A partial audio recording of the event was published on Markletplace.org, in which Mnuchin can be heard addressing hecklers.
“I think they’re going to get more tired than I am,” he said. “Oh yeah, I’m dealing with students. I forgot,” he later added.
A UCLA law professor, Lara Stemple, was reportedly behind the peaceful protest at the talk, warning ahead of the event that faculty members and students would be “wearing black” and “will be not applauding at all, instead hissing as appropriate” in an interview with CBS.
Demonstrators also reportedly showed up to the event dressed as Louis XVI of France and Marie Antoinette.
They were protesting against the Trump administration’s tax bill signed into law in December, which they argued benefits corporations and the wealthy, while hurting middle and low-income Americans.
President Donald Trump signed the GOP’s $1.5 trillion tax reform bill, which aims to slash taxes for coroprations while giving most Americans temporary relief. The U.S. leader called the legislation a “bill for the middle class and a bill for job,” at the time.
However, Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, have warned that the bill will mostly benefit the rich, while hurting America’s poorest.
Despite protesters being led away by police during the event, Mnuchin said during the discussion that he believes everyone should “be able to listen” to each other’s views.
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Asked by an audience member what Mnuchin thinks people can do to engage in a way “more condusive to discussion,” the treasury secretary said: “The great thing about being at UCLA and places like this is that there’s a difference of opinions.”
“I think it’s an obligation of all of ours to be able to listen and whether you agree or disagree, you should hear people’s views. So, that’s why I came here,” he added.
During the interview, Mnuchin also said he considers it “a great honor to serve the country,” to which the audience can be heard clapping. “I think we live in a democracy, we’re lucky to live in this country. We’re lucky to have differences in opinions,” he said.
Mnuchin said he felt an “obligation” to take up his present role after operating banks that “went under during the financial crisis” and seeing “the impact of what went on.”