Late night hosts unpack the nuttiest and most damning parts of Trump's newly unveiled tax records
Few things are as certain in life as "death and Donald Trump not paying his taxes," Stephen Colbert said on Monday's Late Show. "Last night we learned The New York Times obtained Donald Trump's taxes for the last 20 years," and it appears "Trump is in some deep W2-doo." Trump evidently paid only $750 in taxes in 2016 and 2017, thanks to iffy accounting and staggering losses at his core businesses. Worse, "he is personally responsible for loans and other debt totaling $421 million," he added. "Somebody out there — and we don't know who — has got the leader of the free world by the short hairs. If he gets re-elected, Air Force One's gonna end up on Pawn Stars."
"Can I just say if you decided to lend $400 million to Donald Trump, that's on you," Trevor Noah said at The Daily Show. But the possibility of Trump's creditors demanding their $400 million in a second term actually "has me worried, because I don't want the president's decisions for the country getting influenced by his deep financial troubles — and also, because there's a good chance that Trump is gonna pay off his debt by selling off American treasures." Maybe "Trump doesn't actually want to be president, he just really needs that Secret Service protection," he suggested. "If I had $400 million in loans coming due, I'd also be trying to cancel the election."
Still, Noah said, "the craziest thing to me is that he took a $70,000 deduction on his hair! Because to me it now looks like two crimes might have been committed here: One is Trump's tax evasion, and two is whoever swindled Trump into paying $70,000 for what they did to him."
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.
"The crazy part isn't that he spent $70,000 on his hair, it's that clearly $70,000 wasn't enough," Jimmy Fallon joked at The Tonight Show. "When it comes to avoiding taxes, Trump knows every loophole. For instance, on next year's taxes he plans on claiming his coronavirus response as a total loss." But "the most damaging part of the report" is it shows Trump's a terrible businessman, Fallon said. "Since 2000, Trump's reported over $300 million in losses just from his golf courses. It would have been a better investment if Trump opened up a Radio Shack inside a Blockbuster inside a Sears."
"Let's just say Melania's gonna be pretty pissed when she learns what half of negative-$431 million is," Late Night's Seth Meyers added. Watch below. Peter Weber
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
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.
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraud
Speed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Boeing machinists approve contract, end strike
Speed Read The company's largest union approved the new contract offer, ending a seven-week strike
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US economy still strong in final preelection report
Speed Read It grew at a solid 2.8% annual rate from July through September
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Boeing machinists reject deal, continue strike
Speed Read The rejection came the same day Boeing reported a $6.2 billion quarterly loss
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ports reopen after dockworkers halt strike
Speed Read The 36 ports that closed this week, from Maine to Texas, will start reopening today
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homes
Speed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published