Donald Trump

After Marches, Trump Wonders Why People Still Want to See His Taxes

One poll has consistently found national support for Trump releasing his tax returns at about 67 percent since February

President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Easter Sunday to suggest the nationwide rallies from the day before calling for the release of his tax returns were paid operations, and questioned why it's still an issue when he won the election.

After tweeting his best wishes for Easter, Trump sent two tweets suggesting that the election was a referendum on his tax returns, one that he won.

"I did what was an almost an impossible thing to do for a Republican-easily won the Electoral College! Now Tax Returns are brought up again?" he said.

But recent national polls haven shown quite the opposite. Trump releasing his taxes was important to about 50 percent of respondants to a Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll released last week, and 53 percent said he should be required to release his federal tax returns.

Other recent polls have put the number of people who think he needs to release his taxes at 61 percent (PPP, March 15) and 56 percent (CBS News, Feb. 23). The Quinnipiac University national poll has consistently found support for Trump releasing his tax returns at about 67 percent since February.

And dozens of cities saw tax-themed marches on Saturday, April 15 — Tax Day, when it falls on a week day — where demonstrators held up signs like "Surrender Your Returns" and "Show me the money!" Clashes broke out at one of the rallies, in Berkeley.

Though some of the rallies brought together thousands of people, Trump commented Sunday that rallies were small, and wondered if the demonstraters were paid, which has been a common response to rallies about Trump policies. 

"Someone should look into who paid for the small organized rallies yesterday. The election is over!" Trump said in his second tweet on the issue.

Trump has maintained that voters don't care that he was the first major-party nominee in more than 40 years not to release his tax returns. He's explained that he wouldn't release the returns because he was under audit. 

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, has said Trump's refusal to release his returns could hinder Republicans' prospects for a rewrite of the tax code.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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