Bidding started at $40 million and in less than 90 seconds reached $60 million. Around and around the bidding went, but the man who never stopped raising his paddle was Mr. Mnuchin, the 85-year-old father of Steven Mnuchin, the treasury secretary under President Trump. There was nothing flashy about Robert Mnuchin, who was on a black Casio Ravine flip phone as the numbers sailed ever higher. Eventually, he placed the winning bid: $80 million, which with fees amounted to $91.1 million. “We are not in the league,” Robert Mnuchin said in an interview.

Source: New York Times May 19, 2019 13:38 UTC