Paul Ryan calls on Donald Trump to release tax returns. Donald Trump Jr. explains why that won't happen.


After several promises to release his tax returns, Donald Trump settled on his current rationale for not releasing them in February: The last few years of his returns are under IRS audit. He reiterated that reason in an interview with The Washington Post on Thursday evening, even though the IRS has no rules against releasing returns mid-audit. Every major party presidential candidate has released his or her tax returns since 1976 — Hillary Clinton has released decades' worth — and Richard Nixon released his in 1973 even though he was being audited.
A huge majority of Americans, including a solid majority of Republicans, think Trump should release his returns. So does House Speaker Paul Ryan. "I released mine, I think he should release his," Ryan said at a news conference on Thursday, though he added that the timing is up to Trump. "I know he is under an audit and he has got an opinion about when to release those. I will defer to him on that."
The IRS audit is "a flimsy excuse," says Chris Cillizza at The Washington Post, but on Wednesday, Donald Trump Jr. "gave us a simple and sensible explanation: His dad doesn't want the scrutiny." The full quote from Trump's eldest son, to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, is that the GOP nominee won't release his returns "because he's got a 12,000-page tax return that would create... financial auditors out of every person in the country asking questions that would detract from [his father's] main message."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Cillizza calls that "a remarkably honest answer," then translates for those who can't read between the lines: Trump "has calculated that the damage done to his campaign in releasing the returns is far worse than the negative press he gets from not releasing them. That's it." You can watch CNN remind everyone what Trump's tax returns might reveal in the video below. Peter Weber
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Why has the Russian ruble performed so well this year?
Today's Big Question Despite economic malaise, Russia's currency is up 45% on the year
-
Israel 'pauses' Gaza military activity as aid outcry grows
Speed Read The World Health Organization said malnutrition has reached 'alarming levels' in Gaza
-
US and EU reach trade deal
Speed Read Trump's meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen resulted in a tariff agreement that will avert a transatlantic trade war
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices