As tension begins to rise this election season, what was once swept under the rug is now being resurfaced. This time, it is Donald Trump and 15 years worth of interesting taxes, or lack thereof. On September 27th, The New York Times published “Trump’s Taxes Show Chronic Losses and Years Of Tax Avoidance,”and the internet and voters alike were shaken by the troubling but not surprising results that the Time’s brought to light. In the article, it was discovered that in 2016, the year Trump won the election, he “paid $750 in federal income taxes,” and the same amount the first year of presidency. To put that in perspective, Joe Biden, democratic presidential candidate, paid over $92,000 in income taxes that same year and over $3 million in 2017. Obviously, people are confused and upset by the revelation.
To add even more fuel to the fire, the Times reported that Trump had not paid federal income tax in 10 of the last 15 years. Trump claimed that he had lost more money than profited in those years, which, if true, would prove to be a devastating loss. President Trump has been infamous for being a billionaire but his taxes tell another story, so what is the truth? According to Forbes, “he figured out how to share very little of his fortune with the country he now leads.”
Twitter Reacts
Twitter was quick to learn this information and immediately began the #Trumpisbroke hashtag which gained traction quickly. People are rightfully upset over the released statements, questioning how someone who cannot control his finances and businesses, could possibly control that of a country. Check out the tweets:
So felons can’t vote until they pay their fines, but Trump can be elected and be hundreds of millions in debt? #TrumpIsBroke #brokebitch
— Irishrygirl (@irishrygirl) September 29, 2020
Memes were not left out.
"Can I borrow $750?" #tRumpIsBroke pic.twitter.com/M54UsTxZHu
— Rick (@1Of8BillionPlus) September 29, 2020
How Much Did He Spend On Hair?
According to Business Insider, Trump wrote off over $70,000 just on his hair while filming ‘The Apprentice’. Yahoo News reported that even Britney Spears only spent a little over $2500 on hair AND makeup the same year. As we all have seen his underwhelming and unfortunate hairdo, this has brought jokes and memes of its own.
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This is the guy who stole $70,000 from America to pay for “hair styling” #TrumpTaxes #TrumpIsBroke pic.twitter.com/VIHEA1jpGN
— Derek Franks (he/him) (@Derek_a_Franks) September 29, 2020
I laughed until I cried about the 70k on hair in one year.#TrumpMeltdown#TrumpsHair pic.twitter.com/FTiC9OTRZd
— BadKittyBoardMix (@Ca_m_er_on) September 28, 2020
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, US representatvie of the Bronx and Queens, spoke out about the hypocrisy, when MAGA supporters judged her for a $250 birthday hair cut last year.
Last year Republicans blasted a firehose of hatred + vitriol my way because I treated myself to a $250 cut & lowlights on my birthday.
Where’s the criticism of their idol spending $70k on hairstyling?
Oh, it’s nowhere because they’re spineless, misogynistic hypocrites? Got it. https://t.co/xCQGwW7EK5
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 28, 2020
Is Trump A Good Business Man?
It was discovered that he is over $1 billion in debt. For a man who is famous in the business world, why have his endeavors done so horribly?
Is Trump The Worst Business man ever?#TrumpIsBroke
— Agolf Twitler Slayer (@slayer_agolf) September 29, 2020
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He’s either a tax fraud of historic proportions, or he’s the the worst business man in history.
He has claimed 1.1 billion dollars in losses, and that’s either the truth or a lie to defraud America.— Ethan Embry (@EmbryEthan) September 28, 2020
The Hypocrisy
The POTUS was once on the other side of the criticism when he constantly shamed and questioned former President Obama’s taxes and policies. His olds tweets are proving to not have aged well.
https://twitter.com/25nathanw/status/1310742969817821185?s=20
https://twitter.com/ki_native/status/1311071373645811714?s=20
The news of his taxes, or lack thereof, comes just days after President Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat as a Supreme Court Justice. Barrett’s background is starkly different than Ginsburg’s, which is upsetting too many people, as Ginsburg opened many doors for women and oppressed groups. Donald Trump is not on many people’s good sides, and his tax returns feel like another blow to Americans, especially those put trust in our Nation’s leader.
Just last night, on September 29th, the first presidential debate took place. And spoiler alert: it was train wreck or as Jake Tapper said, “that was a hot mess inside a dumpster fire inside a train wreck.” Between President Trump interrupting the host and former VP, Joe Biden, the entire time, and the lack of solid intentions, voters were left disappointed and frustrated. Donald Trump also refused the opportunity to condemn White supremacy, and rather danced around the request, reverting the attention back on the left.
This is one of the most important elections we can participate in, and yet, we have been left feeling no confidence in either candidate. At this point, we must vote the lesser evil.
Donald Trump’s taxes are just gasoline atop the dumpster fire that is his candidacy. His supporters have taken the opportunity to continue to support him, coming up with excuses for his money-hungry actions.
