Appetite for Dysfunction: Axl Rose and the Treasury Secretary Are Beefing on Twitter

Want the best of VICE News straight to your inbox? Sign up here.

One is the frontman of Guns n’ Roses. The other is the United States Treasury Secretary. Given the times we live in, it was only a matter of time before these people crossed paths on Twitter.

Axl Rose, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer whose band announced a children’s book called “Sweet Child O’Mine” yesterday, took the first shot at Steve Mnuchin yesterday in a tweet calling him an “asshole”:

It’s official! Whatever anyone may have previously thought of Steve Mnuchin he’s officially an asshole.

— Axl Rose (@axlrose) May 6, 2020

It was initially unclear what, exactly, spurred Axl to tweet his feelings about Mnuchin, although Rose has blasted President Donald Trump in the past, both for his politics and his campaign’s penchant for using the band’s music at rallies. On Tuesday, as Trump toured a Phoenix mask factory without wearing a mask, someone in the factory blasted Guns n’ Roses’ version of “Live and Let Die.”

Whatever the impetus for Axl’s insult might have been, Mnuchin — who is overseeing the Treasury department in the middle of an economic collapse — really didn’t need to respond to this one. But he did, and in doing so managed to own himself about as hard as one can with a flag emoji:

What have you done for the country lately? 🇺🇸

— Steven Mnuchin (@stevenmnuchin1) May 7, 2020

As many pointed out, that’s the flag of Liberia. Rose also slammed Mnuchin for saying this week that “it’s a great time to explore America” during the pandemic:

My bad I didn’t get we’re hoping 2 emulate Liberia’s economic model but on the real unlike this admin I’m not responsible for 70k+ deaths n’ unlike u I don’t hold a fed gov position of responsibility 2 the American people n’ go on TV tellin them 2 travel the US during a pandemic.

— Axl Rose (@axlrose) May 7, 2020

Hopefully there’s a lesson to be learned here for Mnuchin — the guy who fulfilled a lifelong mission to bring democracy to China is not one to be messed with.

Cover: Guns N’ Roses vocalist Axl Rose performs live at stade Matmut as part of their world tour in Bordeaux, France, June 26, 2018. Photo by Thibaud Moritz/Abaca/Sipa USA(Sipa via AP Images)