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Trump Wanted to Charm Me Into Submission: A Captivating Presidential Campaign (2017)

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Trump Wanted to Charm Me Into Submission: A Captivating Presidential Campaign (2017)

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In compliance with FEC regulations of all presidential candidates, Trump published a 92-page financial disclosure form in 2015; the form listed all of his assets, liabilities, income sources and hundreds of business positions. His decision not to release his tax returns[331] was contrary to usual practice by every presidential candidate since Gerald Ford in 1976. Although there is no law that requires presidential candidates to release their returns, Trump's refusal led to speculation that he was hiding something. Trump explained that his tax returns were being audited and his lawyers had advised him against releasing the returns. However, no law prohibits release of tax returns during an audit. Tax attorneys differ about whether such a release is wise legal strategy. Trump has told the news media that his tax rate was 'none of your business', but added, 'I fight very hard to pay as little tax as possible.'

On October 1, 2016, three pages of Trump's 1995 tax return were leaked to a reporter from The New York Times, who said she received the documents in her Times mailbox. Each of the three pages is one page from Trump's state filings in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. They show that using allowed deductions for losses, Trump claimed a loss of $916 million that year. During the second presidential debate, Trump acknowledged using the deduction, but declined to provide details such as the specific years it was applied.[342] When asked if he used the tax code to avoid paying taxes, he said, 'Of course I did. Of course I did.' He then went on to say he paid 'hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes', calling it a 'simple' thing. 'I pay tax, and I pay federal tax, too', he said.[343][344][345]

On March 14, 2017, the first two pages of Trump's 2005 federal income tax returns were leaked to MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, who unveiled them on her show. The two pages showed that Trump paid $38 million in federal taxes and had a gross adjusted income of $150 million.[346][347] The White House confirmed the authenticity of the 2005 documents and stated: 'Despite this substantial income figure and tax paid, it is totally illegal to steal and publish tax returns.'

Trump entered a field of 17 major candidates who were vying for the 2016 Republican nomination; this was the largest presidential field in American history.[348] Trump participated in eleven of the twelve Republican debates, skipping only the January 28 seventh debate, which was the last debate before primary voting began on the first of February. The debates received historically high television ratings, which increased the visibility of Trump's campaign.[349]

By early 2016, the race had mostly centered on Trump and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz.[350] On Super Tuesday, Trump won the plurality of the vote, and he remained the front-runner throughout the remainder of the primaries. By March 2016, Trump became poised to win the Republican nomination.[351] After a landslide win in Indiana on May 3, 2016—which prompted the remaining candidates Ted Cruz and John Kasich to suspend their presidential campaigns—RNC Chairman Reince Priebus declared Trump the presumptive Republican nominee.[352] With nearly 14 million votes, Trump broke the all-time record in the history of the Republican Party for winning the most primary votes. He also set the record for the largest number of votes cast against the front runner.

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