The bigger truth revealed by Trump's taxes

The rich are strangling America

President Trump.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock)

Americans finally got a look at President Trump's tax returns, thanks to The New York Times, which did the job House Democrats failed to do. Trump has not paid any federal income tax in 10 of the last 15 years. In 2016 and 2017, he paid just $750.

It's an incredibly outrageous story. The median household pays nearly three times as much federal income tax than the sitting president did. But more importantly, Trump's appalling business career is emblematic of an economy that is rigged in favor of wealthy elites who don't have to obey the law or face any consequences for failure. The impunity of the billionaire class is strangling this country.

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.