Mike Segar/Reuters
Donald Trump lost nearly $1 billion in 1995 and could have legally paid no federal income taxes for as many as 18 years because of it, according to tax returns obtained by The New York Times. The losses stem from Trump’s mismanaged casinos in addition to his defunct airline business. In a statement, Trump’s campaign did not address the specific reporting of the Times, but rather characterized Trump as “a highly-skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his businesses, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required.”
The campaign went on to claim that Trump, who has yet to make his tax returns public, has paid “hundreds of millions of dollars” in various taxes over the years. In explaining how it obtained the records, the Times said they were mailed to one of its reporters with a return address of Trump Tower, suggesting that there could be a “mole” within the Trump Organization.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign weighed in on the report on Saturday night, with campaign manager Robby Mook calling it a “bombshell report that reveals the colossal nature of Donald Trump’s past business failures and just how long he may have avoided paying any federal incomes taxes whatsoever.”
Trump personally responded to the report early Sunday morning, tweeting: “I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them.”