Trump Has No Excuse For Not Releasing His 2016 Tax Return

Americans are putting the finishing touches on their 2016 tax returns in anticipation of Tax Day Tuesday. But while millions of Americans will be looking for their tax returns in coming weeks, they certainly won’t be seeing President Donald Trump’s anytime soon.

Trump is the first president since Richard Nixon not to make his tax returns public, leaving critics to speculate nefarious business dealings. During the campaign season, Trump repeatedly used the excuse that he is under an IRS audit.

Reporters Clearly Not 'The Only One That Cares'

“The only one that cares about my tax returns are the reporters [sic],” Trump said at his first post-election press conference in January.

“I’m not releasing the tax returns because as you know, they’re under audit.”

Of course, Americans have learned from experience not to take Trump’s word at face value.

Trump’s excuse that he is under audit doesn’t hold water. Fact-checkers, tax experts and even the IRS itself have all repeatedly told the media that Trump is completely free to release his tax returns during an audit.

In addition, reporters are certainly not the only Americans concerned about Trump’s returns. In fact, nearly 400,000 Americans have signed a Change.org petition calling for Trump to release his taxes.

The site ReleaseTrumpsTaxes.org designated Friday, April 14 Call Congress Day, and petitioner Nancy Nuehnergarth is urging Americans to take a minute to call their local elected officials and demand Trump’s taxes be released.

“For 40 years, Americans have been able to review the tax returns of their presidential candidates and presidents,” Nuehnergarth said. “We’re able to see if there are any conflicts of interest that could make them unsuited for the highest office in the land.”

On Twitter, #TrumpTaxes and #TaxMarch have gained traction, particularly following a CNN poll stating 74 percent of Americans believe Trump should release the documents. As Twitter user The Unslient Majority explained, "That's 239,846,662 Americans."

A Growing Trend: Bending The Truth

Trump’s stance on his tax returns has shifted dramatically in the past year. In February 2016, Trump told Matt Lauer he would release his tax returns “probably over the next few months.”

Once Trump took office, the administration dropped the audit charade all together.

“The White House response is that he’s not going to release his tax returns,” spokesperson Kellyanne Conway said following Trump’s inauguration. “We litigated this all through the election. People didn’t care.”

Trump’s 2016 tax returns will immediately be under audit as soon as they are filed. The IRS policy for presidents is the same for IRS employees: Everyone receives a mandatory audit. This policy hasn't kept any of the past six presidents from publicly releasing the forms as well.

The Tax March

While Trump tweeted out Sunday a reference to "small organized rallies" and implied that the marches were populated by paid protestors, thousands of people marched in solidarity across the nation demanding transparency from the commander in chief.

@realDonaldTrump You cannot be serious… there were tons of rallies, and they were massive—bigger then your tiny inauguration. pic.twitter.com/PozXskSQpa

— William LeGate (@williamlegate) April 16, 2017

According to @taxmarch, the "official account for #TaxMarch," over 25,000 marched in D.C. alone and more than 200 marches and rallies took place over the weekend.

#ThisIsWhatDemocracyLooksLike: More than 25K people in D.C. and 200+ marches & rallies around the world for #TaxMarch cc: @realdonaldtrump pic.twitter.com/NsKhmTObHz

— Trump Tax March (@taxmarch) April 15, 2017

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How Your Taxes Will Be Different Next Year, And Why You'll Have Trump To Thank ________ Image Credit: By Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA - 2017.04.15 #TaxMarch Washington, DC USA 02333, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons