Melania my role model for life in spotlight, says Trump aide’s Scots wife
HER fairy tale marriage to one of the top men in the Trump administration has made her one of the most highprofile wives in Washington. But Scots actress Louise Linton is learning to deal with life in the limelight – thanks to First Lady Melania Trump.
The 36-year-old wed US treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin in June, in a lavish ceremony attended by Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence.
She met Mr Mnuchin – a wealthy financier 18 years her senior – in 2013 after she moved to California. But their lives were turned upside down last November when the former Goldman Sachs executive was recruited by President Trump.
Miss Linton told The Sunday Times: ‘It’s been quite a radical
‘I draw on her courage’
change as I don’t get to see much of him during the day.
‘But I do pop over to the Treasury for lunch once a week and we catch up with each other.
‘We have a meal together every night. That’s how we keep ourselves grounded.
‘He leaves around 7am and gets back between 7pm and 8pm. We always sit down together and share a meal – no TV – and we talk about our day and our future.
‘There is a lot about his work that he can’t share with me, but it is fascinating for both of us.’
Edinburgh-born Miss Linton, who attended the city’s Fettes College, also told how Melania Trump had inspired her. She said: ‘She is incredibly kind and demure and very intelligent. She has a grace and poise I doubt even Grace Kelly could rival.
‘As much as I get to see the first family, it is usually in social situations, so what I tend to draw on is her courage and elegance, no matter what is going on in the news.’
Miss Linton also spoke about President Trump’s love of her home country – his mother Mary Anne Macleod was born and raised on the Isle of Lewis.
She said: ‘He has a lot of affection for Scotland and speaks often of his affection for the Scottish people. He pays great attention to everything that is going on around the world, not just Brexit and the independence referendum.’
Miss Linton – who got her acting break in 2007 in Robert Redford’s Lions for Lambs – last week arrived in Edinburgh with Mr Mnuchin on honeymoon. She was pictured on Saturday jogging in the city’s Inverleith Park with her brother, David.
Miss Linton and Mr Mnuchin are set to tour Europe for three weeks to celebrate their marriage – her second and his third.
Miss Linton’s hit the headlines last year after the publication of her controversial memoir, In Congo’s Shadow.
The heavily criticised book, about her gap year in Zambia, featured claims she had to hide from ‘armed rebels’ from the Congo. Zambians pointed out inaccuracies and claimed she had a ‘white saviour complex’.
Miss Linton apologised, withdrew the book from sale and vowed to give profits to charity.