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Giuliani Calls Donald Trump a Genius for Minimizing His Taxes Supporters Defend Donald Trump’s Tax Approach as Business Savvy
(about 2 hours later)
Donald J. Trump’s use of tax provisions to minimize what he pays in federal income taxes makes him “a genius,” Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and close adviser to the Republican presidential nominee, said on Sunday. Donald J. Trump’s allies mounted an often-harried offensive on Sunday morning, seeking to redirect growing criticism around the Republican presidential nominee’s tax returns into an unusual argument for his unparalleled business acumen.
Speaking on several morning news shows, Mr. Giuliani vigorously dismissed a New York Times report that revealed Mr. Trump had declared a $916 million loss on his 1995 tax returns, which could have allowed him to legally avoid paying any federal income taxes over an 18-year period. “The man’s a genius,” Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and close adviser to Mr. Trump, said on Sunday when asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” about a New York Times report detailing Mr. Trump’s use of tax provisions that could have helped him minimize what he pays in federal income taxes. “He knows how to operate the tax code for the people that he’s serving.”
“The man’s a genius,” Mr. Giuliani said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “He knows how to operate the tax code for the people that he’s serving.” In this case, Mr. Giuliani said, Mr. Trump was simply acting as any responsible American businessman would to save money for his enterprises. Mr. Trump’s investors, he added, could have brought legal action against the Manhattan businessman had he not taken advantage of the tax law’s provisions.
Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, another adviser to Mr. Trump, echoed Mr. Giuliani’s remark, arguing that the tax records showed Mr. Trump to be uniquely qualified to overhaul the federal tax code. The Times report, published late Saturday and based on documents obtained by the newspaper, showed that Mr. Trump had declared a $916 million loss on his 1995 tax returns, which could have allowed him to legally avoid paying any federal income taxes over an 18-year period.
“There’s no one who’s shown more genius in their way to maneuver around the tax code,” Mr. Christie said on “Fox News Sunday.” Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, another adviser to Mr. Trump, argued that rather than demonstrating any kind of malfeasance, the tax records published by The Times showed Mr. Trump to be uniquely qualified to overhaul the federal tax code.
Mr. Trump’s tax returns — which he has repeatedly refused to release in defiance of what has become the norm for modern presidential candidates — have been a lingering battle in his contest with Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee. Mr. Clinton has released her returns. Not only that, Mr. Christie said, but the documents supporting the report illustrate Mr. Trump’s success in what the governor characterized as the weak economic climate of the early 1990s.
The Times report, published late Saturday and based on documents obtained by the newspaper, refocused attention on the issue as the campaign moves into its final phase, giving Democrats a new opportunity to discredit the Republican nominee and forcing his surrogates to try to change the conversation. “This is a guy who, when lots of businesses went out of business in the early 1990s, he fought and clawed back to build another fortune, to create tens of thousands of more jobs,” Mr. Christie said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Mr. Trump’s campaign did not contest or confirm the report, but a lawyer for the Manhattan businessman said in a statement that the publication of the tax records was illegal. The Times reported that Mr. Trump’s declared loss of $916 million in his 1995 records could have allowed him to avoid paying taxes on income of more than $50 million a year in taxable income for up to 18 years. “This is actually a very, very good story for Donald Trump.”
Taking to Twitter on Sunday morning, Mr. Trump reiterated part of his campaign’s statement, boasting that he understands “our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president” and that he had created far more jobs than Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Trump’s tax returns — which he has repeatedly refused to release in defiance of what has become the norm for modern presidential candidates — have been a lingering battle in his contest with Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee. Mrs. Clinton has released her returns.
Supporters of Mrs. Clinton used the Times report to draw attention to Mr. Trump’s refusal to release his returns and paint a picture of the candidate as an unreliable businessman. The Times report has refocused attention on Mr. Trump’s finances as the campaign moves into its final phase, giving Democrats a new opportunity to discredit the Republican nominee and forcing his surrogates to quickly try to change the conversation.
Mr. Trump’s campaign did not contest or confirm the report, but a lawyer for the Manhattan businessman said in a statement that the publication of the tax records was illegal.
Taking to Twitter on Sunday morning, Mr. Trump reiterated part of his campaign’s statement, boasting that he understood “our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president” and that he had created far more jobs than Mrs. Clinton.
Supporters of Mrs. Clinton used the Times report to draw attention to Mr. Trump’s refusal to release his returns, and to portray the candidate as an unreliable businessman and the embodiment of a system “rigged” in favor of the wealthy.
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who battled for the Democratic nomination with Mrs. Clinton, said that far from making Mr. Trump a genius as his allies suggested, the disclosure about Mr. Trump’s taxes illustrated the unfair and unequal advantage given to wealthy Americans.Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who battled for the Democratic nomination with Mrs. Clinton, said that far from making Mr. Trump a genius as his allies suggested, the disclosure about Mr. Trump’s taxes illustrated the unfair and unequal advantage given to wealthy Americans.
“The rich are getting richer,” Mr. Sanders said on ABC’s “This Week.” “Almost everybody else is getting poorer. And yet billionaires like Donald Trump are able to manipulate the tax system so that they avoid paying federal income tax.”“The rich are getting richer,” Mr. Sanders said on ABC’s “This Week.” “Almost everybody else is getting poorer. And yet billionaires like Donald Trump are able to manipulate the tax system so that they avoid paying federal income tax.”
Mr. Sanders said on “State of the Union”: “This is exactly why so many millions of Americans are frustrated.”