Tax revelations dog Trump campaign as Election Day nears


Donald Trump enters the final five weeks before Election Day facing allegations that he used legal loopholes to avoid paying up to 18 years of income taxes. That's according to what appear to be three pages of his highly-sought tax returns, published over the weekend in The New York Times.
Hillary Clinton's campaign has seized on the opening, slamming Trump's reputation for being a brilliant businessman by highlighting his loss of nearly a billion dollars in a single year:
Trump's campaign has stated its candidate paid hundreds of millions in other taxes, like sales and real estate, and his surrogates insist the move shows his "genius." But the revelation follows a weak presidential debate by Trump as Clinton leads in election projections. "We are getting into the homestretch of this horserace to the glue factory of American Exceptionalism," Politico's Glenn Thrush wrote Monday, "and the events of the next week to 10 days will likely be Trump's final shot at repairing his damaged candidacy."
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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
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
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine