News broke Sunday evening that President Donald Trump only paid $750 in federal taxes in 2016, the year he became president. He paid the same amount in 2017, his first year in the White House. In comparison, Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush paid more than $100,000 a year.
Trump has paid far less than most Americans while holding the highest office in the country. Undocumented immigrants have also paid more taxes than the president, even though they’re not given citizenship privileges. The New York Times broke the story with an in-depth report on the president’s concealed tax-return data and a nearly $73 million tax refund.
The exposé confirmed that the businessman is a serial tax avoider. For 10 of the 15 years from 2000–2015, Trump didn’t pay any federal taxes due to claimed losses. The news shouldn’t come as a shock, Trump had previously proudly declared that he doesn’t pay taxes. Astonishingly, Trump took a $70,0000 deduction for hair care.
The tax avoider doesn’t seem so proud of his antics now. He’s blasted the article: “It’s fake news. It’s totally fake news. Made-up, fake.” Trump said he’s willing to release his tax returns after the Internal Revenue Service finishes auditing the alleged tax fraud. Legally, Trump doesn’t have to wait until the IRS audit is over to publicly share his tax returns.
The president, who often calls immigrants freeloaders who are benefiting from the hard work of American citizens, is the ultimate leech. We need an honest leader, not a con man. Former presidential hopeful Julián Castro took to Twitter to express his distaste. He Tweeted “Undocumented immigrants paid $11.7 billion in state and federal taxes in 2014. Trump paid only $750 the year he became president and only $750 the next year. He needs to stop freeloading off Americans.”