forget the “birthers”, be a “returner”: we need to keep asking for trump’s damn tax returns

By Nick Douglas, AFROPUNK Contributor

O.K., America. Nearly one year has passed since Donald Trump became President.

So Donald Trump has taken on the toughest job of his career and the toughest and most powerful job in the world. He also became the employee of 350 million American citizens. Up until this point, the majority of Americans think he is failing miserably.

Now, when many Americans go for a job they usually have a drug test and a background check. Well, I for one do not think that Donald Trump is on drugs. To say he is on drugs would be just too easy. His behavior is erratic, racist, and misogynistic, but I am going to chalk that up him being a psychopath with a serious personality disorder.

Part of the background check has been carried out by the press and books about Trump. We know, for instance, that he has been divorced twice, had several bankruptcies, and has not paid contractors and other people that have done work on his real estate empire. He was found to discriminate against people of color by the Department of Justice. He used funds from his foundation to pay off personal expenses. He stole money from students at Trump University and settled a lawsuit against his “university” for 25 million dollars.

He thinks it is OK to sexually assault women and that there should be some punishment for women who have abortions. Despite his worldwide business empire, he could not get any business associate to give him a testimonial at the Republican Convention, and instead relied on his children to praise him. This made it appear that he actually had no friends, which is troubling.

But the people who elected Trump have been able to overlook all these issues, so who am I to complain. They have been able to overlook his acceptance of support by the KKK, neo-Nazis and alt-right (coded language for neo-Nazis). We now know that he would endorse an accused pedophile for senate rather than lose an election in a Republican strong-hold like Alabama. Probably any one of these issues might have stopped Trump from receiving a real job. But Trump, as we know, is not like any other president.

But another part of the background check process was missed and it is very important: we need to see his tax returns.

As most Americans know, every presidential candidate for the last 40 years has released their tax returns when they became their party’s nominee: with the exception of Donald Trump. Trump said he was not releasing his tax returns because he was under IRS audit. But even Richard Nixon released his tax returns during an audit. When your sense of decency doesn’t even reach Richard Nixon’s, that should have been a red flag for voters, but 60 million chose to ignore it.

But now Trump is our employee, and as a tax payer I am going to demand to see his tax returns. I am a “RETURNER.” I urge other Americans to become “RETURNERS” too.

I urge them to join me in the steady drum beat for Trump to finally release them publicly. He is the president, and as my president I DEMAND TO SEE HIS TAX RETURNS. In an election and a first year in office where nearly every amazing flaw of a candidate has been overlooked, I, as a responsible citizen, am not going to let this slide any longer.

As a responsible citizen and Trump’s new employer, I will also require Trump to put his holdings in a blind trust just like every president before him. The fact that he and his family do not seem to comprehend what a blind trust is (especially given Trump’s supposed business acumen) is alarming. But that is neither here nor there.

The release of his tax returns will answer nearly all the financial questions about our President. We will know if he paid taxes. As he is the president representing all Americans, I would like to know that Trump paid his fair share to support our elderly, disabled and military. His tax return will actually tell us his net worth (I don’t for a moment think he is a billionaire, because he doesn’t act like one). The release of his tax returns will put to rest the question of just how successful Trump has been.

His tax return will tell us just how generous Trump is with all the charities he supposedly supports. A president needs to be generous because he is representing people who actually hate his guts and he may be called upon to help them in an emergency (kind of like Puerto Rico). His tax returns will tell his interests in and involvement with foreign businessmen and governments. We need to know that the president is representing our interests first rather than the interests of his friends and foreigners. I believe that Trump’s tax returns will resolve the issue about his involvement with the Russians once and for all. And, as his new employer, I have to be secure that he is representing my interests.

Trump’s tax returns will unravel the enigma that is to be President Trump. His tax returns could prove him to be one of the biggest liars and con-men in history if all his claims during the election are found to be not true. Lying on a job application is grounds for termination of employment. Americans need to know who they have hired for the most important job in the world. If he lied on the application he should be fired.

Trump recently promised the “largest tax cut in American history,” yet every independent analysis of his Republican tax plan says that nearly 80% of the tax cuts will go to the wealthiest 1% of the population, while cutting Medicare and Medicaid to nearly a hundred million Americans. This is the age old Republican trick of funding welfare for the rich on the backs of the poor. Trump, of course, during the election said that the rich need to pay more taxes, even citing that he should be required to pay more. His tax plan will directly benefit him by giving him a huge tax cut. But his supporters have been able to overlook nearly every insanely hypocritical thing that Trump does, so this is no surprise.

But I am not a fan. For nearly five years Donald Trump demanded our last President prove he was born in the United States. President Obama finally released his long form birth certificate proving his citizenship. It is only fair and appropriate to DEMAND THAT TRUMP RELEASE HIS TAX RETURNS. When Trump was a candidate, he owed his supporters release of his tax returns as a formality of tradition. But as President and as a public servant, who is now my employee, and the employee of 350 million other Americans. This is a requirement of the job, and the very least that 350 million bosses should ask of him.

Yes I am a “RETURNER.” And you should be one too.