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Democrats Lash Out At Trump Tax Report

caption: Democrats say <em>New York Times'</em> story detailing President Trump's taxes shows his disdain for working families.
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Democrats say New York Times' story detailing President Trump's taxes shows his disdain for working families.
AP

Democrats have wasted little time responding to the New York Times bombshell that President Trump paid just $750 dollars in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017.

"The New York Times reporting provides a window into the extraordinary measures that President Trump has used to game the tax code and avoid paying his fair share of taxes, while hard working Americans are," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement.

"It is a sign of President Trump's disdain for America's working families that he has spent years abusing the tax code while passing a GOP Tax Scam for the rich that gives 83 percent of the benefits to the wealthiest 1 percent," she added.

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. tweeted a "raise your hand" emoji, "if you paid more in federal income tax and President Trump."

And Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., tweeted that she "paid thousands of dollars a year in taxes *as a bartender*", and said Trump "contributed less to funding our communities than waitresses & undocumented immigrants."

The report adds a new element into what has been a remarkably stable presidential race according to polling, which has consistently shown Democratic nominee Joe Biden with with a national lead approaching double digits over Trump.

The Biden campaign was also quick to jump on the Times story, releasing a video ad on Twitter, comparing what it said were average taxes paid by teachers, firefighters and nurses, all substantially more than $750. [Copyright 2020 NPR]

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