Democrats Attack Trump On Twitter Following Report He Paid $750 In Taxes

Topline

A bombshell report in the New York Times detailing President Trump’s tax information dating back two decades led to a social media onslaught from many prominent Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, on Sunday evening, in what is undoubtedly just the first in a series of salvos Trump’s foes plan to launch at the sitting president in the weeks leading up to Election Day.

Key Facts

Key Background:

Speaking with reporters Sunday evening at a news conference in the White House briefing room, Trump denied the NYT report. “It’s fake news,” he declared. “It’s totally fake news. Made up. Fake.” The president said the IRS treats him “very badly” and, although he would be “proud to show” his tax returns, he can’t because he is under audit. Trump refused to say precisely how much he paid in federal income tax but insisted that he’d paid “a lot” of money in taxes. The Biden campaign wasted no time using this new ammunition against their opponent. Within hours of the publication of the Times report, the campaign released an ad contrasting the $750 Trump reportedly paid in 2016 and 2017 to the average income taxes paid by Americans in various careers, such as $5,283 for firefighters, $7,239 for school teachers, $10,216 for nurses.

Big Number:

$70,000: That’s the amount Trump paid to have his hair styled during his years on “The Apprentice,” according to the Times report. Trump wrote off the cost of his haircuts as a business expense. 

Critical Quote: 

“Last year Republicans blasted a firehose of hatred + vitriol my way because I treated myself to a $250 cut & lowlights on my birthday,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Sunday. “Where’s the criticism of their idol spending $70k on hairstyling? Oh, it’s nowhere because they’re spineless, misogynistic hypocrites? Got it.”

Further Reading:

Biden Campaign Quickly Capitalizes On Report Trump Paid $750 In Federal Taxes (Forbes) 

LONG-CONCEALED RECORDS SHOW TRUMP’S CHRONIC LOSSES AND YEARS OF TAX AVOIDANCE (NYT)