Trump denies report on tax returns

The New York Times said President Donald Trump paid only $750 in federal income tax in 2016—the year he became president—and 2017. The Times said it had examined his tax returns for more than two decades and claimed he paid no income tax in 10 of the last 15 years as he reported significant business losses, including $315 million on his golf courses since 2000. The report also said Trump classified his homes, aircraft, and $70,000 in hairstyling costs for The Apprentice as business expenses, allowing him to write them off as deductions.

What did the president say about the report? In a news conference on Sunday, Trump called the findings “fake news,” arguing he has paid big tax bills at both the state and federal level. He said he will reveal his tax returns but gave no timeline. Alan Garten, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, called most of the facts in the Times report inaccurate and said Trump “has paid tens of millions of dollars in personal taxes.”

Dig deeper: Read Harvest Prude’s report on the legal battle over Trump’s tax records.