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The New York Times has reported that Donald Trump paid only $ 750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017, and none for 10 of the previous 15 years.
This combination of archive images created on September 28, 2020 shows Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden (L) speaking in Tampa, Florida on September 15, 2020 and United States President Donald Trump speaking during an event. for black supporters at the Cobb Galleria Center on September 25, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia. Image: AFP.
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump staggered Monday on the eve of his first televised debate against challenger Joe Biden after an unexpected report showed he has been avoiding almost any federal income tax for years.
The scoop on The New York Times, reporting that Trump paid only $ 750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017, and none for 10 of the previous 15 years, was a shot in the jugular of the self-described billionaire.
Throughout his unlikely rise to power, Trump has presented himself as a stubborn businessman on a mission to drain the Washington swamp and represent what he calls “the forgotten man and woman.”
Trump calls Times‘story, which according to the newspaper is based on his long secret tax returns, false.
“Fake news outlets, just like the 2016 election time, are exposing my taxes and all sorts of nonsense with illegally obtained information,” he tweeted Monday.
Fake news outlets, just like the 2016 election time, are exposing my taxes and all kinds of nonsense with information obtained illegally and with only malicious intent. I paid many millions of dollars in taxes but was entitled, like everyone else, to depreciation and tax credits …
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 28, 2020
But with several new polls on Sunday once again suggesting that Biden has the upper hand, the Republican enters the debate in Cleveland on Tuesday increasingly on the defensive.
A Washington Post/ The ABC News poll placed Biden 10 points ahead of Trump nationally, with 53-43% support among registered voters, while an NBC News-Marist poll gave the Democrat a similar lead, of 54 to 44, in the key state of Wisconsin, which Trump had led in 2016.
Trump’s Democratic challenger is focusing on the president’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his controversial rush to fill the Supreme Court seat vacated by the late liberal justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
But the tax report threatens the core of Trump’s political identity: that vaunted ability to connect with blue-collar voters.
Biden, who frequently touts his early childhood years in the Pennsylvania town of Scranton, has been trying to recast the populist leader as a spoiled Manhattan playboy.
Although its impact on voters was still far from clear, the TimesThe report, which purports to reveal information that prosecutors and congressional investigators have been trying unsuccessfully to obtain for years, gives Biden piles of fresh ammunition.
And the Democrat’s campaign immediately opened fire.
In a quickly crafted new ad, haunting piano music accompanies a montage of faces depicting Americans with relatively low wages but admired jobs, listing the income tax they typically pay: $ 7,239 for teachers, $ 5,283 for firefighters, $ 10,216 for nurses.
Switching to pictures of the president, the text reads: “Federal income taxes paid: Donald Trump $ 750.”
BILLIONAIRE OR BUST?
the Times The story raises new questions about whether Trump is really the man with the Midas touch he portrays or an unfortunate spender who owes money to a lot of people.
Among his many unique traits, Trump makes bragging about his wealth an important part of his speech.
The golf resort empire that bears his name is even woven into the structure of the presidency, and Trump brings his vast entourage to the properties on a regular basis.
But with Trump as the first president in years to refuse to release his tax returns, questions have been asked for a long time.
Trump claims he cannot release the statements because he is under audit. In his trademark cheeky style, he also once boasted that getting out of taxes “makes me smart.”
On Monday, he tweeted “I paid many millions of dollars in taxes but was entitled, like everyone else, to depreciation and tax credits.”
But according to the TimesTrump’s tax returns show that he achieved large-scale tax evasion in part because his supposedly successful businesses, particularly golf courses, are such money losers.
the Times said Trump benefited from a $ 72.9 million tax refund now subject to an official audit. He also reportedly took tax deductions on residences, airplanes, and $ 70,000 in hairstyling for television appearances.
In a detail that raises the issue of potentially serious conflicts of interest for a sitting president, the Times said that loans personally guaranteed by Trump should soon be repaid.
DEMAND FOR DRUG TESTING
Even without the new fuel of tax history, Tuesday’s Trump-Biden debate was destined to be a brutal affair.
Trump is doubling down on attempts to smear his rival’s state of mind. Biden “doesn’t know he’s alive” is one of his new phrases.
As the debate draws near, Trump has said both should take a drug test.
“Joe Biden just announced that he won’t accept a drug test. Wow, I wonder why.” Trump tweeted on Monday.
I will vigorously demand a Sleepy Joe Biden drug test before or after Tuesday night’s debate. Naturally, I will agree to take one as well. His performances in Debate have broken UNEVEN records, to put it mildly. Could only drugs have caused this discrepancy?
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2020
When asked by reporters about the lawsuit over the weekend, Biden laughed before declining to comment.
But his deputy campaign manager, Kate Bedingfield, had a resounding response: “Vice President Biden intends to put the answers to his debates in words. If the president believes his best case is based on urine, he can.”
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