Trump’s tax returns are out. Here’s how he was able to pay so little — so often
Los Angeles timesDec 30, 2022
The Facts
Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee officially released six years' worth of former Pres. Donald Trump's tax returns on Friday following a party-line vote on the matter last week.
The returns stretch from 2015-2020, covering Trump's taxes during his candidacy and time in office. He broke tradition by being the first president since Nixon not to release his tax returns to the public, leading to a legal battle starting once Democrats took the House in 2019.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
The release of the returns is the final act in a saga that Trump's incessant fighting has dragged out for years. Much of the information Trump sought to keep private became public irrespectively, and the reality is that for all of his claims of being a great businessman, his companies have been losing millions for years. This release remains a blow to the former president.
Pro-Trump narrative
To no one's surprise, the big tax return release was just an anticlimactic witch hunt. What it did show is that while he was focused on being president, Trump's companies did take a financial dive, which is why he paid very little in income tax. This was nothing more than a political farce that has opened the door to future harassment.
Nerd narrative
There's a 15% chance that Trump will be jailed or incarcerated before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.