First debate in the US: Biden throws the gauntlet at Trump with the publication of the 2019 tax returns

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, have released more personal tax returns before the first presidential debate.

The Bidens’ statements show that the couple paid nearly $ 300,000 ($ 455,170) in federal taxes in 2019, including nearly $ 288,000 in personal income taxes. The Bidens reported taxable income of $ 944,737.

Today’s release comes a few days after New York Times reported that Trump paid $ 750 in federal income taxes in 2016, the year he was elected president, and again in 2017, his first year in office. the New York Times He said Trump didn’t pay federal income taxes for 10 of the 15 years before that.

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Biden and Trump are meeting this afternoon in Cleveland for their first presidential debate, and Trump’s taxes are sure to go up.

Trump has called the reports “fake news” but has still refused to disclose his statements.

Biden had already released two decades of his tax returns, in addition to the federal financial disclosures that were required of him when he was a senator and vice president.

Biden’s running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, and her husband, Doug Emhoff, also released their 2019 remarks today.

Harris and Emhoff reported paying US $ 1.05 million in personal income taxes and US $ 1.19 million in total federal taxes on US $ 3.02 million in taxable income.

Trump spent the morning informally preparing for the debate.

A longer and more formal preparation session was expected once he arrived in Cleveland.

Trump’s readiness team includes former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, campaign communications strategist Jason Miller, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Jared Kushner, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, and Communications Director Alyssa Farah. Some other advisers like Dan Scavino and Hope Hicks have also been involved.

While Trump is eager to go on the offensive against Biden, some aides have encouraged him to adopt a more measured tone, believing that in many ways the debates are more about Trump versus himself than they are about Biden.

Trump, they argue, should focus more on selling his accomplishments than on trying to viciously attack Biden. However, some involved in the preparations have encouraged the more aggressive ‘backlash’ side of Trump.

– AP