Donald Trump's history on the issue of taxes has been inconsistent over the years, including his comments Monday when he reversed course on his earlier remarks about taxing the rich.
A
BuzzFeed article takes a closer look at the real estate mogul's views on taxes, and includes a snippet of a 1991 interview he did with Joan Rivers regarding his thoughts on President Ronald Reagan's 1986 tax cuts — which he called "a disaster."
"What caused the savings and loan crisis, other than incompetence and various other things, was the 1986 tax law change," Trump told Rivers. "It was a disaster. It took all of the incentives away from investors … and it was a disaster."
A brief summary of Trump's public comments on taxes, via BuzzFeed:
- 1991: Trump tells Congress taxes on the wealthy should be "substantially" higher than 25 percent.
- 1999: Trump says he would fund a universal healthcare plan by raising corporate taxes.
- 1999: Trump advocates for higher taxes on the rich in order to lower taxes on the middle class.
- 2005: Trump says he voted for President [George W.] Bush because of his "excellent" tax agenda.
- 2008: Trump pledges support for Sen. John McCain for president because of his promise to lower taxes.
- 2008-2015: Trump calls for President Barack Obama to keep the tax rates where they are.
- 2015: Trump releases his tax plan during his presidential campaign, which creates four tax brackets for individuals. Top-earning Americans fall into the 25 percent bracket for ordinary income.
- Sunday, May 8, 2016: Trump says tax rates on the rich will increase under his plan
- Monday, May 9, 2016: Trump says the tax rate on wealthy Americans would simply receive a smaller tax cut that he originally proposed.
Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, as all of the other candidates in the race have suspended their campaigns.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.