One of the biggest stories since Donald Trump first announced his plan to run for president has been over his Tax returns. As the president continues to keep his financial information hidden from the public, Trump has a new theory as to why he has been under audit by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Trump's returns
When Donald Trump stood at the podium on the floor of Trump Tower in New York City and made his candidacy official, the consensus was that it was nothing more than a publicity stunt that would quickly fade out. As the months went by, however, Trump gained momentum and used his controversial campaign style to move past 16 other Republican candidates on his way to the party's nomination.
Just a few months later and Trump completed his goal of winning the presidency with a shocking upset victory over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In doing so, Trump became the first person in 40 years to win the election without releasing at least their most recent year's tax returns. The former host of "The Apprentice" cited being under an audit by the IRS for why he didn't do so, despite there being no law against a person under audit releasing their information. Questions remain over why the tax returns are kept private, with many critics speculating that they would reveal damaging information about the president, which could include a potential tie to Russia or other foreign countries.
After 100 days in office, Trump is still refusing to release the returns, which was highlighted during a April 30 interview with CBS' "Face the Nation."
Joining host John Dickerson on Sunday was Donald Trump, who once again doubled down on his refusal go forward and make his tax returns available to the people. Dickerson asked Trump about comments recently made by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin who said the president had no plans of releasing them anytime soon.
"I never spoke to him about it. Honestly, he's never asked me about it," Trump said, in an apparent conflict with Mnuchin.
Mnuchin said @POTUS has no intention to release tax returns. Trump: "I never spoke to him about it. Honestly, he's never asked me about it."
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) April 30, 2017
"I'm under audit.
Right now, I'm under audit. After the audit is complete," Donald Trump said of the possibility of him releasing his taxes, before adding, "It's a routine audit, but I have a very big tax return." "I think it's a very unfair thing because I have been under audit almost, like, since I became famous, okay?" he continued, putting blame on his celebrity status for his current audit. "I have been under audit, I'll bet you 12 or 13 or 14 years in a row," Trump went on to say, before calling in it "very unfair."
Moving forward
Whether or not Donald Trump releases his tax returns is unknown, but it appears that it's not helping him make his case to the American people. Despite saying he has had a successful start to his presidency, the latest polls show only 40 percent of the American people viewing Trump in a favorable light.