Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) took a question from vice presidential debate moderator Susan Page about presidential candidates disclosing information about their personal health and used it to attack President Trump on his taxes.
Harris said that "absolutely," candidates should provide details on their health to the public, and that's why Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has been "so incredibly transparent, and certainly by contrast with the president, who's not, both in terms of health records but also, let's look at taxes."
Harris praised The New York Times' investigative journalists who published a massive article on Trump's taxes, based on financial records the reporters said they received from people with legal access to them. The Times reports that in 2016 and 2017, Trump only paid $750 in federal income taxes, and Harris said when she "first heard about it, I literally said, 'You mean $750,000.' No, $750."
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The public now knows that Trump "owes and is in debt for $400 million," Harris continued. "Just so everyone is clear, when we say in debt, it means you owe money to somebody, and it would be really good to know who the president of the United States, the commander in chief, owes money to, because the American people have a right to know what is influencing the president's decisions and is he making those decisions on the best interest of the American people, of you, or self-interest."
Vice President Mike Pence responded that Trump called the Times' report "not accurate," and has released "stacks of financial documents" for the public to review. He also credited Trump with paying "tens of millions in taxes — payroll taxes, property taxes."
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