Donald J. Trump has asserted that “people” don’t care about his tax returns.
I now shall differ with the Republican presidential nominee.
When he says “people,” he refers to the 30 percent or so of the voting public that has bought into his message — whatever it is — that has propelled him to the GOP nomination.
The rest of us? Well, I think others care.
He’s not releasing his tax returns ostensibly because of an Internal Revenue Service audit … according to Trump. The IRS says it’s nonsense, that an audit doesn’t preclude someone from revealing the returns.
He likely won’t release them until after the election, presuming of course he gets elected. If he loses — which is what I believe will happen — we’ll never see them.
Trump’s tax returns are our business. He might not believe so, but they are.
If someone seeks to become president of the United States, then everything about them becomes part of the public’s concern. That certainly ought to include the way the candidate handles his financial affairs. It provides a window that allows us to understand how he might govern.
If the candidate is going to propose certain tax obligations on the people he or she governs, then we need to know whether that candidate also is paying his or her fair share of taxes. Is that so unreasonable? I think not.
Trump is playing fast and loose with a longstanding political custom dating back 40 years. Presidential candidates have released their tax returns to give Americans a fuller picture of what they’re buying into — or rejecting.
Come clean, Donald Trump.