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What President Trump's Taxes Reveal

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US President Donald Trump speaks during a briefing at the White House September 27, 2020, in Washington, DC. - US President Donald Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes in 2016, the year he won the election, The New York Times reported September 27, 2020, citing tax return data extending more than 20 years. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump speaks during a briefing at the White House September 27, 2020, in Washington, DC. - US President Donald Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes in 2016, the year he won the election, The New York Times reported September 27, 2020, citing tax return data extending more than 20 years. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

What a New York Times report reveals about President Trump’s tax records, his businesses and tax code itself.  

Guests

Adam Davidson, contributing writer for the New Yorker, where he covers business and economics. Co-founder of NPR’s Planet Money. Host of the podcast The Passion Economy. (@adamdavidson)

Dan Alexander, senior editor at Forbes, covering Donald Trump’s businesses. Author of "White House, Inc." (@DanAlexander21)

Dorothy Brown, professor at Emory University School of Law. Author of the forthcoming book "The Whiteness of Wealth." (@DorothyABrown)

From The Reading List

New York Times: "Long-concealed Records Show Trump's Chronic Losses and Years of Tax Avoidance" — "Donald J. Trump paid $750 in federal income taxes the year he won the presidency. In his first year in the White House, he paid another $750."

New York Times: "Trump Paid $750 in Federal Income Taxes in 2017. Here’s the Math." — "The small amount of federal income taxes President Trump paid in both 2016 and 2017 — just $750 each year — has become the focus of much attention since it was revealed in a New York Times investigation."

New Yorker: "Where Did Donald Trump Get Two Hundred Million Dollars to Buy His Money-Losing Scottish Golf Club?" — "Between meeting the Queen of England and Vladimir Putin, President Trump will spend this weekend at Turnberry, the golf course he bought in 2014 and rechristened Trump Turnberry. This property has not received the attention it deserves."

New York Magazine: "Trump’s Tax Returns Show Lying Is His Only Marketable Skill" — "The revelations about Donald Trump’s finances obtained by the New York Times have produced two distinct reactions. One is that he’s a terrible, failing businessman, and the other is that he’s a tax cheat."

Forbes: "Yes, Donald Trump Is Still A Billionaire. That Makes His $750 Tax Payment Even More Scandalous" — "'Is Donald Trump really a billionaire?” everyone seemed to be asking Sunday night, after the New York Times dropped a bombshell report about the president’s taxes, which detailed big losses in some years and limited income in others. The answer: Yes, he is indeed."

This program aired on October 1, 2020.

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