Donald Trump will not release his tax returns. Ever. Not before the convention. Not before the election. Not after the election. How do I know this? Trump has never been shy about his riches and, despite common perspectives to the contrary, he hates confrontation where he’s called out for his weaknesses. Knowing this, if he has nothing to hide, he would have released them already.
Instead, he’s used his greatest skill as the controller of conversations within the media to sidestep any discussions regarding his tax returns. When the question pops back up and starts looking like it will become an issue, he says something outrageous or releases old audio of him pretending to be his own spokesperson in order to distract the ADHD electorate and our lamestream media political tour guides. By the time the dust clears, another round of tax return talks is over.
It’s not going to stop. All he can do is hope to distract us until after the election. Even Mitch McConnell has joined the chorus.
There are numerous speculations about why he demands to be the only candidate in four decades to not release them. The most common one is that he’s flat out lying about his wealth. Some say he isn’t worth $1 billion, let alone the $10 billion that he’s often claimed. This might be true, but I doubt it. Tax returns wouldn’t give an accurate picture of net worth in a way that he couldn’t talk his way around.
I believe there’s something more nefarious reported to the IRS. Perhaps he’s giving and/or receiving money from overseas. It wouldn’t jive with his nationalist rhetoric if he’s heavily invested in Chinese interests or is financially beholden to an entity like Deutsche Bank, with whom he’s taken out numerous huge loans for business. It could be something simple like taking advantage of tax loopholes similar to his bilking of the 9/11 fund when he took money designated for “small businesses” needing help recovering from the disaster.
Regardless of why, this can be put to rest very easily. All he has to do is allow and independent accounting firm to examine his tax returns and verify a few things that voters should know. If his taxes are as squeaky clean as he claims, then they should hold up to the scrutiny of a handful of experts who are sworn to secrecy about the details. They could then report back to the voters about his alleged wealth, foreign interests, tax loopholes, or any number of things that would be of interest. That way, he can maintain his privacy without making us speculate about things that a President shouldn’t be doing. Otherwise, those of us who are interested in truly vetting a candidate will believe that he’s lying, cheating, or participating in financial ventures that go against the best interests of America.
If Trump has nothing to hide, then he should stop hiding. If his long list of reasons for not releasing his tax returns cannot be exhausted before the election, then this is a valid alternative. Otherwise, it would be very foolish for anyone to vote for a man who likely has something hidden that would derail the Trump Train if it ever got out.
Is he solid gold or simply gold plated? There was only one way to find out and that’s not going to happen. This plan should be acceptable to both sides if he truly has nothing to hide.
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