President Trump is open to releasing his tax returns when the IRS audit is done — and that could happen soon, he said.
“It could happen soon. I don’t know,” Mr. Trump said in an interviewed that aired Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Mr. Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns has been a burning issue on the left since the campaign. He is the first presidential candidate not to make public his tax information since the tradition began with by Richard Nixon in 1973.
He has said his accountants advised him not to release his returns during the IRS audit, although tax experts have said that it would not affect the audit.
“I’m under routine audit. And I think it’s a very unfair thing because I have been under audit almost, like, since I became famous, OK?” said the president.
He said it was not just a political issue.
“I have been under audit, I’ll bet you 12 or 13 or 14 years in a row,” he said, adding that he has wealthy friends who have never been audited.
Mr. Trump, a billionaire real estate developer, said his tax return was bigger and more complex than those of most people.
“It’s pretty routine, to be honest with you,” he said of the audit. “But then I’ll make a decision.”
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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