If you can't beat him, find a way to keep him off the ballot. That's what legislators in 18 states are trying to do to President Trump in the 2020 presidential elections.
The Washington Post reports that several statehouses are looking to pass laws that will require presidential candidates to release their tax returns on if they want to see their name on voting ballots.
Some proponents of the numerous bills argue that they are geared toward increasing transparency and returning to the "norm" of candidates sharing their financial records with the public, which Trump has, to date, refused to do.
But, per the Post, other lawmakers are not even trying to be coy. They've admitted that the legislative push is "very much about Trump."
Most of the states that are considering this are controlled by Democrats, though the party has introduced legislation even in some Republican-controlled states.
The Washington state Senate actually passed a bill last Tuesday that would require candidates to release five years of tax returns before they could appear on the state's primary or general election ballot. It will now face a vote in the House.
But there are skeptics on both sides of the aisle. When his state passed a similar bill in 2017, former California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) vetoed it. In his decision, he questioned the idea's constitutionality — indeed, while states can set their own standards for ballot inclusion, it is unclear whether demanding the release of returns could be part of those standards. Brown also said the tax return precedent could set states on a "slippery slope," which could lead to requests for many other kinds of personal documents, including health records and high school report cards. Read the full report at The Washington Post. Tim O'Donnell
Tax records obtained by The New York Times appear to show that President Trump reduced his taxable income by treating his eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, as a consultant, then deducting this as a business expense.
The Times reports that Trump Organization tax records show between 2010 and 2018, President Trump wrote off as business expenses $26 million in "consulting fees." The consultants are not listed by name, but the Times compared the tax records to financial disclosures Ivanka Trump filed when she started working at the White House in 2017 as a senior adviser to her father. Ivanka Trump reported receiving $747,622 in payments from a consulting company she co-owned — the same exact amount in consulting fees the Trump Organization claimed as tax deductions for hotel projects in Hawaii and Vancouver.
As an executive officer with the Trump Organization, Ivanka Trump managed the Hawaii and Vancouver hotel projects, "meaning she appears to have been treated as a consultant on the same hotel deals that she helped manage as part of her job at her father's business," the Times said. Ivanka Trump earned a salary of about $480,000 while serving as an executive with the Trump Organization, and the amount jumped up to $2 million after her father became president, the Times reports; since leaving to work in the White House, she has not received a salary from the company.
The tax filings also show that Trump collected $5 million for a hotel deal in Azerbaijan and reported $1.1 million in consulting fees and made $3 million in Dubai while reporting a $630,000 consulting fee. People with direct knowledge of the deals told the Times they were not aware of any consultants or third parties who would have been paid in connection with the projects. When asked about the matter, Alan Garten, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, did not comment.
The Internal Revenue Service said for consulting fees to be deducted as an expense, they must be an "ordinary and necessary" part of running a business, and the recipient must still pay income tax. Catherine Garcia
President Trump on Sunday said The New York Times' report on his tax returns is "totally fake news."
The Times obtained tax return data extending for more than two decades, which shows Trump has largely avoided paying taxes because he reported losing substantially more than he made. Trump was asked about the Times' report during a press conference, and he responded, "Actually, I pay taxes. You'll see that as soon as my tax returns, they're under audit, they've been under audit for a long time." He went on to accuse the Internal Revenue Service of treating him "very, very badly," adding that he will be "proud to show" his returns once they are no longer being audited.
The IRS audits every sitting president's returns, and has said individuals are allowed to make their tax returns public while an audit is being conducted. Catherine Garcia
The New York Times has obtained tax return data for President Trump covering more than two decades, which shows that Trump paid only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017 and paid no federal income taxes in 10 of the last 15 years, primarily because he reported losing more money than he made.
Trump has not made his tax filings public, and the information made its way to the Times via sources with legal access to it. The filings contain information Trump disclosed to the Internal Revenue Service, but do not reveal his net worth. Trump has said his tax returns aren't as important as the annual financial disclosures he must submit as president, and comparing the two, the Times found that in 2018, Trump put in his disclosure he made at least $434.9 million, while the tax records show he incurred $47.4 million in losses.
During Trump's first two years in the White House, he received $73 million from overseas operations. Most of this came from his golf properties in Ireland and Scotland, but it also included millions in licensing fees: $3 million from the Philippines, $2.3 million from India, and $1 million from Turkey. In 2017, the same year he paid $750 in U.S. income taxes, Trump paid $156,824 in taxes in the Philippines and $145,000 in taxes in India, the Times reports.
The tax returns show that since 2010, Trump has failed to pay back $287 million to lenders, and within the next four years, more than $300 million in loans that he is personally responsible for will come due. Trump Tower in Manhattan is what is helping keep Trump afloat, the Times reports — the retail and commercial space has delivered $336.3 million in profits since 2000.
Alan Garten, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, told the Times "most, if not all, of the facts appear to be inaccurate" in the newspaper's report, adding that over the last decade, Trump "has paid tens of millions of dollars in personal taxes to the federal government, including paying millions in personal taxes since announcing his candidacy in 2015." The Times notes when Garten says "personal taxes," he seems to be conflating income taxes with other federal taxes Trump has paid, like Medicare and Social Security. Read more at The New York Times. Catherine Garcia