Democrats Say Trump Tax Returns Report Shows His 'Disdain' For Working Families

By Brian Naylor / NPR

Published September 28, 2020 at 4:26 AM PDT

This story was published more than 3 years ago.

A New York Times story that purports to detail how little President Trump has paid in income taxes has handed Democrats what they hope will be a potent campaign message. — A *New York Times* story that purports to detail how little President Trump has paid in income taxes has handed Democrats what they hope will be a potent campaign message.

Updated at 2:14 p.m. ET

Democrats have wasted little time responding to The New York Times' bombshell that President Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017.

"The New York Times reporting provides a window into the extraordinary measures that President Trump has used to game the tax code and avoid paying his fair share of taxes, while hard working Americans are," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement.

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"It is a sign of President Trump's disdain for America's working families that he has spent years abusing the tax code while passing a GOP Tax Scam for the rich that gives 83% of the benefits to the wealthiest 1%," she added.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., tweeted a "raise your hand" emoji, "if you paid more in federal income tax than President Trump."

And Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., tweeted that she "paid thousands of dollars a year in taxes *as a bartender*" and said Trump "contributed less to funding our communities than waitresses & undocumented immigrants."

The report adds a new element into what has been a remarkably stable presidential race according to polling, which has consistently shown Democratic nominee Joe Biden with a national lead approaching double digits over Trump.

The Biden campaign was also quick to jump on the story, releasing a video ad on Twitter, comparing what it said were average taxes paid by teachers, firefighters and nurses, all substantially more than $750.

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In an interview on MSNBC, Pelosi said Trump's finances are a national security issue, because according to the report, he has some $300 million in loans which will become due within the next four years.

"He has exposure to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. To whom? The public has a right to know" Pelosi said.

House Democrats have been engaged in a long-running and to date unsuccessful effort to obtain Trump's tax records for the past six years.

NPR has not confirmed any of the details from the filings; the Times didn't post any of its source documents to protect sources, according to the story.