On November 8, 2016, the American people went to the polls and handed Donald Trump a fairly decisive electoral victory, making him the 45th President of the United States. And those who voted for Trump made the decision to cast their ballots under the assumption that Mr. Trump had not paid federal income taxes in nearly two decades. If the folks didn’t care then, why would they care now?
When reports surfaced prior to the election that Donald Trump may have avoided paying federal income taxes for 18 years, Mr. Trump indirectly gave credence to the accusations by refusing to deny them and claiming that he used all the laws at his disposal regarding his tax obligations. At times, it appeared as though Trump was wearing the allegations as a badge of honor.
Here’s a conspiracy theory for you:
After appearing so proud that he allegedly manipulated the tax system to his full advantage, maybe Donald Trump is embarrassed that he actually paid too much in taxes. As Rachel Maddow kindly informed us, Mr. Trump paid $38 million in 2005. After touting his business acumen, maybe he is ashamed that he had to pay anything. Maybe he is embarrassed that socialist Senator and fellow real estate mogul Bernie Sanders apparently has better accountants, allowing him to pay half the tax rate of Trump. Or, perhaps he is just having as much fun as the rest of us watching Democrats become completely unhinged over his taxes. Maybe he just doesn’t like being told what to do. Ok, it’s a stretch but one never knows exactly what goes on in the mind of President Trump. Would any scenario really surprise us?
Even though the myth that Trump paid no taxes for 18 years was debunked during the now infamous Rachel Maddow debacle, it still seems safe to assume that Mr. Trump may have used the current tax codes to his advantage at some point, perhaps even exempting himself from paying federal income tax. But even if he did, what do the Democrats have to gain by seeing the release of Trump’s taxes? Will the verification of what is already assumed do anything to change public opinion? If the accusations are correct, who would these revelations shine a negative light on? Should we blame the individual for refusing to pay more taxes than legally obligated to pay or, do we blame those who created the tax system to begin with, or at least did nothing to change it?
Aside from having literally nothing to gain from the release of Donald Trump’s tax returns, the Democrats should be careful in their pursuit as they potentially have much to lose. The more they talk about Trump’s taxes, the more they open themselves up to saying absurd and reckless statements.
Last weekend, Congresswoman Maxine Waters led protesters in a chant of “impeach 45” during the “Tax March” in Washington D.C. ( Yes, they have devolved into having Trump tax return marches). I suppose the hope is that one more disclosure will somehow fulfill their fantasy of bringing down the Trump presidency. Waters doubled down on her delusions and accidentally exposed the Democrats’ real attitude regarding taxation in an interview with Chris Matthews on Monday night. Waters expressed her frustration with the potential that Trump did not pay taxes while claiming that the American workers and middle class are “struggling to pay their taxes.” Her assumption is that the American people are less concerned with their own taxes than they are with taking comfort in the knowledge that some rich guy is paying his “fair share.” Rather than working to provide some relief to the middle class, Waters and Congressional Democrats are obsessed with whether or not Donald Trump paid their definition of his fair share.
Only Maxine Waters, Sarah Silverman, Rachel Maddow and a handful of other individuals, completely blinded by their irrational hatred of Donald Trump, actually care about the contents of his tax returns.
There can be only two possible outcomes from the release of President Trump’s tax returns. The first is that they affirm what we already suspected. The second is that they show that he actually did pay taxes, perhaps at even higher rates than Democrat icons like Bernie Sanders and Barack Obama. Either way, Donald Trump comes out unscathed. For their own sake, Democrats have to let this one go. But for our entertainment, hopefully they won’t.