By EMMA ABBISS
Staff Writer
It was reported on Sunday, by the New York Times, that current President Donald Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017. In 10 of the past 15 years, Trump has paid no federal income taxes, while keeping his tax filings private. Trump responded to this news saying it’s “fake news” and that he was paying his taxes, however he didn’t give any specifics as part of his response. According to AP News, Trump received over $70 million in income, paid $145,400 in taxes in India, $156,824 in the Philippines, however just $750 in U.S income taxes. This news is not looking very good for Trump’s campaign, however it seems to give an opening for Biden, Trump’s opposing candidate, to benefit his own campaign. As a response to this report and as a pre-debate contrast with Trump, Biden released his 2019 taxes. His tax returns show that he and his wife, Jill, had an adjusted gross income of $985,000 last year in 2019 and paid federal income taxes of $288,000. This is a large contrast compared to the much smaller amount Trump paid a few years prior, and gives Joe Biden a much better appearance in this race.
We are at that point in the election where debates are taking place. There are three planned on the days of September 29, October 15, and October 22. In these debates the two presidential candidates will discuss their records, the Supreme Court, the corona virus pandemic, race protests and violence in cities, election integrity and the economy, according to BBC news. These debates will be more focused on how Joe Biden performs, given that Trump’s strengths and weaknesses are very known to most Americans at this point. Meanwhile Trump’s goal in this debate will be to trip his opponent up. Things this year will be very different due to the recent situation with the pandemic, however it should still be interesting to see how everything plays out.