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.
-
Is it time to ban smacking in England?
Today's Big Question Experts are calling for 'Victorian-era punishment' to be scrapped, but the government isn't ready to act
By Abby Wilson Published
-
The Arab League's plan for Gaza
The Explainer Arab leaders reject Donald Trump's proposals to move Palestinians out of Gaza to create 'Middle East Riviera'
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Thrilling must-see operas for 2025
The Week Recommends From Carmen to Peter Grimes, these are the UK's top productions
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
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
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
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
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
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
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US Steel
Speed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battle
Speed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rally
Speed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published