Prior to her show on Tuesday night, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow announced that she had obtained a portion of Donald Trump's tax return from 2005. After the reveal was made, Twitter quickly went viral with a variety of responses.
Twitter reacts
From the day Donald Trump announced his campaign for president, the mainstream media and the majority of the American people have pushed for the release of his tax returns.
Over the last four decades, every major presidential nominee has released at least their most recent financial information, but the billionaire real estate mogul refused to do so, citing an current audit with the IRS. When it was understood that an IRS audit doesn't prevent the release of a tax return, Trump continued to deflect onto other issues, while claiming the only people interested in seeing his tax history were members of the "fake news' media who were out to get him.
On Tuesday night's edition of "The Rachel Maddow Show," the host revealed that the president paid a total of $38 million in 2005, out of an income of $150 million.
Those who oppose Trump point to a tax law he is trying to pass that would have lowered his liability to just $4 million, while supporters laughed at the report in question and claiming it was nothing but left-wing propaganda. As seen across Twitter on March 14, the reaction to the release came in all different directions.
Hollywood's take
"The public's outrage over Trump's taxes remaining hidden must now be directed at the GOP which is helping them stay hidden," actor George Takei write on his Twitter feed, before adding, "#WhatIsHeHiding." Comedian Sarah Silverman gave her thoughts in a pair of tweets. "Holy sh*tballs," Silverman tweeted, while then responding to the White House who were critical of Maddow's report, stating, "The White House is fake news."
Actor and director Rob Reiner also chimed in, but didn't appear to be too impressed.
"I love Rachel Maddow but she was played," Reiner wrote, noting, "DT's incomplete 2005 tax return distracts from a disastrous healthcare bill & Russia. #TrumpRussia
Trump family reacts
"Thank you Rachel Maddow for proving to your #Trump hating followers how successful @realDonaldTrump is & that he paid $40mm in taxes!" Donald Trump Jr. tweeted out during the show. In a follow-up message on Twitter, the younger Trump doubled down on his previous comments.
"Watching the media aka #fakenews implode on tv now because they got what they wanted is simply awesome," Trump Jr. added, while using the hashtags "#thankyoumaddow" and "#TrumpTaxReturns." Donald Trump himself also responded, but did so through a statement released by the White House where they labeled Maddow "desperate" for running the story.
Right-wing media responds
"I have to thank @NBCNews I have not laughed this hard in a decade. You could not write a better skit than this," Fox News host Sean Hannity wrote on Twitter, as he appeared not to be impressed by the alleged "bombshell" report. In addition to Hannity, other hosts on Fox News, like Bret Baier, re-tweeted posts appearing to defend the White House.
Conservative writer and author, Ben Shapiro shared Sean Hannity's thoughts, comparing the Maddow report to the time Geraldo Rivera uncovered Al Capone's vault, just to find nothing inside. "Imagine Geraldo's regret when he opened Al Capone's vault to find Rachel Maddow's report on Trump's taxes," Shapiro tweeted.