Thousands of activists coordinated by a liberal coalition under the umbrella of “Tax March,” participated in rallies and marches in New York, the District of Columbia, and some 100 other cities Saturday. Protesters called for Pr*sident Trump to release his tax returns, a fairer tax system, an end to corporate loopholes that let many companies pay zero taxes year after year, and economic justice in general.
Daniel Marans reports:
In Washington, D.C., the rally at the U.S. Capitol at times appeared to devolve into an all-purpose demonstration against Trump, replete with derisive condemnations of the president ― including references to alleged collusion of staff members from his presidential campaign with the Russian government.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), the ranking member on the House Financial Services Committee, gave one of the most impassioned speeches at the U.S. Capitol. Waters, who has become a leading voice of the opposition to Trump, vowed to impeach the president for his “contemptible” actions, as she led the crowd in a chant of “impeach 45.”
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, declared during his speech, “We are taking the gloves off to say knock off the secrecy Mr. President and publicly release your own tax returns!”
In the run-up to the Tax March, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts scorched Trump for refusing to release his tax returns: “Donald Trump is hiding something. And we know where he’s hiding it—not in a safe, not in a vault. Nope, he’s hiding it in his taxes.” She continued:
“Now, we don’t know much, but we do know that Trump hotels owe hundreds of millions of dollars to Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, the Bank of China. We know he’s done business with Saudi princes, and even investors allegedly tied to the Russian mob. The American people definitely didn't elect Wall Street, or Saudi Arabia, or Russia to run our country—but it seems like they've been renting ‘TRUMP’ for years. And that’s where the problem is: Not just an ethical problem, but who exercises influence—who really calls the shots—over the man who now sits in the White House.”
Presidents aren’t required to release their tax returns but have routinely done so for more than 40 years.