There's a thread on this below (called "$750??") and the consensus is basically what you've said here.
Anyone who is open to evidence/changing their minds about Trump has already done so. There seems to be a floor level of support (80% of Repubs, 42ish percent overall) that he doesn't drop below, no matter what happens. They will always find a way to rationalize his behavior as admirable.
If you are a single issue voter, your issue is your dislike of Trump, it won't change your mind; if you are other single issue voter, how Trump files his tax is irrelevant to their concern. Likewise, for others, they evaluate the candidates based on how their policies are going to affect their life and the country, how Trump has filed his tax return is also irrelevant.
This NYT hit piece is very similar to the Billy Bush tape. The optics were bad but he got elected anyway. Similarly, the scandal of Hunter Biden taking money from Ukraine and China had no effect on Joe Biden being elected for the Dem's presidential candidate at all.
And anyone in Trump's position will do the same thing---hire a professional accountant that can help you minimize the tax you have to pay under the laws. Don't blame Trump, blame the politicians who made the laws.
I'm not blaming Trump for minimizing his tax burden. You are right -- that's legal and we should hold politicians accountable for laws that allow this to happen. What I think the real issue is that he has created a myth that he is amazing business man, who because of his business prowess, will be able to bring millions of jobs to the American people. This has obviously not borne out and definitely not true. But, we'll see if anyone cares.
@Anonymous ITA, but sadly his followers will probably believe that he really ~is~ an amazing businessman, so amazing that he tricked the IRS into believing he was broke.
@Anonymous The thing is, I believe we should be holding politicians to a higher standard. Yeah, us mere mortals try to reduce our tax burden, but if I were running for office, I'd want to be squeaky clean. That's the job. If you want to be POTUS, SCOTUS or other high-level position for which credibility and integrity matter, pay your damn taxes! It's hard to support middle class Americans on one hand, while cheating on taxes on the other hand.
Anonymous
Sep 29
Oh, I forgot how much Jeff Bezos paid on his taxes this year; his company certainly didn't pay much:
Feb 18, 2020 - Jeff Bezos spent more on this house in Beverly Hills than Amazon has paid so far in federal corporate income tax for 2019 · The Amazon founder ...
@anonymous I agree; not only is Bezos not President, but Amazon is a company, not an individual trying to avoid income taxes. And don't get me wrong, I think Amazon should be paying corporate income taxes, but this has nothing to do with Trump. I wouldn't vote Bezos for president, either.
The campaign is mostly about race/immigration (white people terrified of no longer being the majority and having their position of power and control diminished), sex (controlling what women do with their bodies, fear of changing gender roles and women's equality and discomfort with evolving values around gender identity), and religion (taxpayer funding for religious schools, caving to the evangelicals on health insurance coverage for birth control, weaponizing the first amendment against LGBTQ people). It is not about character, integrity, honesty, or respect for human rights.
No because if you are rational then you realize the $750 amount is meaningless, but if you suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome you likely rage posted on Facebook that you “pay more” than Trump.
How is the $750 amount meaningless? I'd love to hear your explanation for why this is actually a good thing. It's like a real live case study in what we were talking about above--Trump supporters twisting themselves into pretzels to see this as admirable.
There's a thread on this below (called "$750??") and the consensus is basically what you've said here.
Anyone who is open to evidence/changing their minds about Trump has already done so. There seems to be a floor level of support (80% of Repubs, 42ish percent overall) that he doesn't drop below, no matter what happens. They will always find a way to rationalize his behavior as admirable.
Sadly, this.
If you are a single issue voter, your issue is your dislike of Trump, it won't change your mind; if you are other single issue voter, how Trump files his tax is irrelevant to their concern. Likewise, for others, they evaluate the candidates based on how their policies are going to affect their life and the country, how Trump has filed his tax return is also irrelevant.
This NYT hit piece is very similar to the Billy Bush tape. The optics were bad but he got elected anyway. Similarly, the scandal of Hunter Biden taking money from Ukraine and China had no effect on Joe Biden being elected for the Dem's presidential candidate at all.
And anyone in Trump's position will do the same thing---hire a professional accountant that can help you minimize the tax you have to pay under the laws. Don't blame Trump, blame the politicians who made the laws.
I'm not blaming Trump for minimizing his tax burden. You are right -- that's legal and we should hold politicians accountable for laws that allow this to happen. What I think the real issue is that he has created a myth that he is amazing business man, who because of his business prowess, will be able to bring millions of jobs to the American people. This has obviously not borne out and definitely not true. But, we'll see if anyone cares.
@Anonymous ITA, but sadly his followers will probably believe that he really ~is~ an amazing businessman, so amazing that he tricked the IRS into believing he was broke.
@Anonymous The thing is, I believe we should be holding politicians to a higher standard. Yeah, us mere mortals try to reduce our tax burden, but if I were running for office, I'd want to be squeaky clean. That's the job. If you want to be POTUS, SCOTUS or other high-level position for which credibility and integrity matter, pay your damn taxes! It's hard to support middle class Americans on one hand, while cheating on taxes on the other hand.
Oh, I forgot how much Jeff Bezos paid on his taxes this year; his company certainly didn't pay much:
Jeff Bezos spent more on this house in Beverly Hills than ... www.marketwatch.com › story › jeff-bezos-spent-more-o...
Feb 18, 2020 - Jeff Bezos spent more on this house in Beverly Hills than Amazon has paid so far in federal corporate income tax for 2019 · The Amazon founder ...
How is this relevant? Besos isn't the POTUS (thank goodness).
@anonymous I agree; not only is Bezos not President, but Amazon is a company, not an individual trying to avoid income taxes. And don't get me wrong, I think Amazon should be paying corporate income taxes, but this has nothing to do with Trump. I wouldn't vote Bezos for president, either.
No way. Corp Doesn’t pay taxes
The campaign is mostly about race/immigration (white people terrified of no longer being the majority and having their position of power and control diminished), sex (controlling what women do with their bodies, fear of changing gender roles and women's equality and discomfort with evolving values around gender identity), and religion (taxpayer funding for religious schools, caving to the evangelicals on health insurance coverage for birth control, weaponizing the first amendment against LGBTQ people). It is not about character, integrity, honesty, or respect for human rights.
Sadly, you are correct on all points and it makes me sad. I will of course vote, but I have essentially given up all hope.
No because if you are rational then you realize the $750 amount is meaningless, but if you suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome you likely rage posted on Facebook that you “pay more” than Trump.
How is the $750 amount meaningless? I'd love to hear your explanation for why this is actually a good thing. It's like a real live case study in what we were talking about above--Trump supporters twisting themselves into pretzels to see this as admirable.