# Maddow's Trump Tax Return announcement **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 15, 2017, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204 "2017-03-15T00:29:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Tigers2B1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@Tigers2B1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tigers2B1)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/81 "2017-03-15T14:46:23Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > The other thing it revealed is that Maddow is a barking idiot. Well, not revealed as much as reinforced. And it will be interesting to see if there is any legal action taken over this. I believe that tax returns are confidential, and if so, it would be amusing to see Trump sue her and NBC for illegally revealing the return. If its true that was a year or years where trump lost a billion dollars I’m sure there were years where he also paid little or no tax. Lord, if those returns ever became public you can expect to see a bad version of the keystone cops over on the left. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/82 "2017-03-15T14:46:37Z")
What I find interesting were the two big lies coming from the White House. 1. They released the same tax forms to the press right before she made her big reveal, which means that “I can’t release my tax forms until the audit is over” was a total lie. 2. The lie about her broadcasting the contents of those forms were against the law. If the person who received those forms had expressly asked for them beforehand then there would have been complicity involved, but these were received anonymously-a complete surprise. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/83 "2017-03-15T14:54:01Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > This shows why it’s important that we know more than we do about his financial affairs, because even this little tidbit shows that he’d personally benefit from AMT repeal, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars per year. To be fair, with a [median net worth](https://ballotpedia.org/Net_worth_of_United_States_Senators_and_Representatives)of over $1 million, so would the vast majority of Senators and Representatives. I think it’s a foregone conclusion that pretty much any elected person in the Executive and Legislative branches under any administration would benefit from AMT type changes. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/84 "2017-03-15T15:03:31Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > What I find interesting were the two big lies coming from the White House. > > 1. They released the same tax forms to the press right before she made her big reveal, which means that “I can’t release my tax forms until the audit is over” was a total lie. > 2. The lie about her broadcasting the contents of those forms were against the law. If the person who received those forms had expressly asked for them beforehand then there would have been complicity involved, but these were received anonymously-a complete surprise. #1 is clearly a lie. #2, not necessarily. It could also be due to ignorance and Trump blustering as usual, and I put no ignorance past Trump. None whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/85 "2017-03-15T15:09:52Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > #1 is clearly a lie. #2, not necessarily. It could also be due to ignorance and Trump blustering as usual, and I put no ignorance past Trump. None whatsoever. As far as #2 is concerned, if it just the initial statement and it came directly from Trump, then _maybe_ deliberate ignorance could be blamed. This inaccuracy was repeated by the White House, however-even after it was explained why the broadcast was totally legal. ---
**Author:** ![Tigers2B1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@Tigers2B1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tigers2B1)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/86 "2017-03-15T15:21:12Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > A friend of mine put it very well: this was a compelling infomercial for leaking more of Trump’s tax returns to the Rachel Maddow Show (or, preferably, to David Cay Johnston). Reminds me more of Buzzfeed’s Peegate. Climbing Mt Nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/87 "2017-03-15T15:27:00Z")
Trump tweets > [@](#): > > @realDonaldTrump > Does anybody really believe that a reporter, who nobody ever heard of, “went to his mailbox” and found my tax returns? @NBCNews FAKE NEWS! > Mar. 15, 2017, 6:55 a.m. His own people release the exact same “FAKE NEWS!” right before she did. Of course Trump Jr. “thanks” Maddow for releasing this same “FAKE NEWS” > [@](#): > > Thank you Rachel Maddow for proving to your #trump hating followers how successful @realDonaldTrump is & that he paid $40mm in taxes! #Taxes > > — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 15, 2017 > > Ha Ha… #thankyoumaddow [https://twitter.com/forbes/status/841824635469627394](https://t.co/hfDXZ8S3HS) > > — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 15, 2017 Add it all up and what you get is “Thank you for releasing FAKE NEWS, which we too have also released, that proves our claim that he is a financial genius”, with some random "ha ha!"s thrown in. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/88 "2017-03-15T15:42:18Z")
This certainly seems planted to me. The White House had a long statement ready before the segment aired, and without the usual spelling errors to boot. How did they know so precisely what Maddow had? Nobody is particularly interested in his taxes from 2005 or his 1040 anyway, but Trump married Melania in 2005. For her to gain citizenship in 2006 would require her to submit a squeaky clean 2005 joint return. If he wanted one year’s return to be released, I’d wager he’d want it to be 2005. ---
**Author:** ![Falchion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Falchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falchion)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/89 "2017-03-15T15:56:00Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > But the AMT thing is at least a medium-sized deal, given his strong opposition to it. > > The AMT, as others have noted in this thread, took him from paying 4% on his income - being taxed like a poor person - to paying 25% - being taxed like an upper middle class person. > > This shows why it’s important that we know more than we do about his financial affairs, because even this little tidbit shows that he’d personally benefit from AMT repeal, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars per year. The purpose of the AMT was to prevent high income individuals from using the various deductions and benefits in the tax code to effectively eliminate their tax liability. Congress was specifically concerned about people whose income came from investments and real estate. I’m not sure we needed to see his returns to know that he was likely in the category of people targeted by the AMT. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/90 "2017-03-15T15:59:43Z")
> [@Falchion](#): > > The purpose of the AMT was to prevent high income individuals from using the various deductions and benefits in the tax code to effectively eliminate their tax liability. Congress was specifically concerned about people whose income came from investments and real estate. I’m not sure we needed to see his returns to know that he was likely in the category of people targeted by the AMT. Going from “likely” to “definitely” might make a difference to a few people-it makes it a little harder to dismiss as baseless speculation. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/91 "2017-03-15T16:11:10Z")
> [@jshore](#): > > Unfortunately for Republican authoritarians like yourself, we still live in a democracy that has strong protections for freedom of the press. While the individual who leaked these might be subject to legal prosecution, the news media won’t be. > > As for Maddow, what specifically what idiotic about what she said? The fact that she blew them up as a big expose - hey, we’re gonna dish the dirt on Trump! And the dirt came out: he paid his taxes. Big fucking deal. But to a liberal airhead like Maddow, it…probably was. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/92 "2017-03-15T16:23:28Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > The fact that she blew them up as a big expose - hey, we’re gonna dish the dirt on Trump! > > And the dirt came out: he paid his taxes. Big fucking deal. But to a liberal airhead like Maddow, it…probably was. This “airhead” graduated from Stanford and was a Rhodes Scholar, getting her PhD in public policy in Oxford. She is quite likely the most intelligent journalist in the US. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/93 "2017-03-15T16:24:50Z")
> [@Falchion](#): > > I’m not sure we needed to see his returns to know that he was likely in the category of people targeted by the AMT. Depends on the ‘we.’ People like you and me, no. But most Americans have no idea what the AMT does. This gives them a piece of concrete information. > [@Fubaya](#): > > This certainly seems planted to me. The White House had a long statement ready before the segment aired, and without the usual spelling errors to boot. How did they know so precisely what Maddow had? > > Nobody is particularly interested in his taxes from 2005 or his 1040 anyway, but Trump married Melania in 2005. For her to gain citizenship in 2006 would require her to submit a squeaky clean 2005 joint return. If he wanted one year’s return to be released, I’d wager he’d want it to be 2005. A lot of people last night and this morning were speculating that Trump had this return leaked. Apparently Joe Scarborough was the one who Trump noticed, though, since Michael Cohen, Trump’s sleazy personal lawyer, tweeted to Scarborough, “You better have proof to back up your claim and big mouth!” It amuses me that someone with as incidental a relationship to the truth as Trump has, is demanding that _someone else_ back up his claims. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/94 "2017-03-15T16:34:07Z")
So, anything else interesting in Al Capone’s vault? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/95 "2017-03-15T16:34:21Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > To be fair, with a [median net worth](https://ballotpedia.org/Net_worth_of_United_States_Senators_and_Representatives)of over $1 million, so would the vast majority of Senators and Representatives. I think it’s a foregone conclusion that pretty much any elected person in the Executive and Legislative branches under any administration would benefit from AMT type changes. Tru dat, but probably for _most_ of them the AMT might increase their tax bills by 20 or 30 percent. There’s a big difference between that and the 588% increase that it caused Trump to have to pay for 2005. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/96 "2017-03-15T16:37:22Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > But Trump admitted openly in the debates that he intentionally strove to pay as little tax as possible. To be honest, it’s always been a fallacy that you’re going to find **any** evidence of some criminal enterprise from Don’s 1040s, I mean he sends these to the fucking government, if he’s doing corrupt shit that would actually be illegal he’d be pretty stupid to document it in his returns, especially since he is so frequently audited. Not just him, but the high priced tax accountants and attorneys, who unlike Trump are probably competent and intelligent, would also have to be insane. Not so simple, IMO. Trump could theoretically be providing his accountants with incomplete or false info that neither they or the IRS are in a position to realize, but that other people can. But those other people have no idea what Trump is filing in his tax forms, on an ordinary basis. But suppose Trump’s tax forms are then publically revealed, then that opens the possibility that he could be ratted out by people in a position to know that he was cheating in various ways. I’m not alleging that he’s done this. But it seems possible. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/97 "2017-03-15T17:01:45Z")
> [@Tigers2B1](#): > > Reminds me more of Buzzfeed’s Peegate. Climbing Mt Nothing. That’s not what DoctorJ said. He said they anticipate someone might have more info and would provide it, based on watching this play out. It doesn’t seem like nothing at all. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/98 "2017-03-15T17:09:09Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > If Fox News did what Maddow did, there would be Liberals squealing like stuck pigs. You are a hoot and a half. I caught Hannity for 2 minutes last night and the gist was that NBC was on a “jihad” against don the con, that there were going to be some “conspiracy” people who said donnie released it himself, and without pausing for a breath after that saying that “deep state” people were trying to undermine little lord fauntleroy and needed to be “purged”. Where did the pride go in being a conservative? ---
**Author:** ![jshore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@jshore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jshore)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/99 "2017-03-15T17:44:46Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > The fact that she blew them up as a big expose - hey, we’re gonna dish the dirt on Trump! > > And the dirt came out: he paid his taxes. Big fucking deal. But to a liberal airhead like Maddow, it…probably was. You clearly didn’t even watch her show, although that doesn’t seem to stop you from pretending to be an expert on it. She explicitly noted that limitations of having only the 1040 itself and not all the schedules and attachments that would allow us to see who the money came from, and she even cited a few examples (e.g., a strange real estate deal with a Russian oligarch around that time) that would really be nice to understand more about. And, in fact, she noted the fact that some people might find the fact that he paid this much tax to be a plus in his favor since there was some speculation based on the lose he took on his 1995 taxes that he might have been able to completely wipe out his tax liability for near 20 years. Like I said, I do however think it is quite a big deal to understand just how much Trump stands to gain from eliminating the AMT…I think the number is $31 million in that one year alone. It sort of puts his donation of his paltry $400,000 salary as President, made out to be such a selfless act, in perspective. I think most of us would gladly forego $400,000 to save $31 million. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204/100 "2017-03-15T17:46:41Z")
Love how Trumpilstilskins are acting like Rachel Maddow is the first person in media history to overhype a story. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddows-trump-tax-return-announcement/782204.md?page=6)