There they go again. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump have resumed hammering each other in personal terms. And Clinton seems to be getting the better of the exchanges at the moment.
Trump is under attack for taking a $916 million loss on his 1995 income tax returns, which could have allowed him to legally avoid paying any federal income taxes for 18 years. This has become the focus of the campaign ever since the story broke in the New York Times last weekend.
Clinton used the Times story to berate Trump during a rally in Toledo, Ohio, Monday. “What kind of a genius loses a billion dollars in a single year?” she asked. Clinton also said, “He abuses his power, games the system, puts his own interests ahead of the country’s. … Trump was taking from America with both hands and leaving the rest of us with the bill.”
Trump is attempting to turn the tax-avoidance issue in his favor. He told a rally in Pueblo, Colorado, that he “brilliantly” used the tax laws to his advantage without breaking the law. He told the crowd he will now use his expertise to help everyday people, adding: “I’m working for you now; I’m not working for Trump.”
“I understand the tax laws better than almost anyone, which is why I am the one who can truly fix them,” he declared. Trump also said Clinton “hasn’t made an honest dollar her entire life” and was guilty of “corruption of the highest order.” Trump has refused to release his income tax returns, as other major-party nominees have done for many years. Trump said he is undergoing a federal audit and his lawyers have advised him to keep the tax returns private until the audit is completed.
But he appears to be at odds with public opinion. A new CNN/ORC poll finds that 73 percent of registered voters want Trump to release his tax returns, including 49 percent of Republicans. And 86 percent of registered voters view paying taxes as a “civic duty,” including 79 percent of Trump supporters. Most of the polling interviews were conducted before the New York Times published its tax-avoidance story last weekend.
The poll also shows Clinton moving into a meaningful lead over Trump nationally among likely voters, 47 percent to 42 percent, with 7 percent for Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson and 2 percent for Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
Clinton has been on the rise since her first presidential debate with Trump a week ago, when he gave an erratic performance and seemed unprepared, while she was steady and put the GOP candidate on the defensive. Clinton was widely seen as winning the debate both by pundits and by the public, according to various opinion polls.
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During the debate, Clinton raised the issue of Trump’s criticism of Alicia Machado, Miss Universe 1996, when he owned the beauty pageant. Trump complained publicly that she gained too much weight and Machado said he made insulting comments about her, which the former Miss Universe and Clinton said were sexist. Trump kept the issue in the news by feuding with Machado for several days and drawing negative news coverage.
Trump also is getting bad news in some state polls. A new Monmouth University poll gives Clinton an 11-point lead in the key state of Colorado among likely voters, 49 percent to 38 percent, after a period when Trump had made gains. A Quinnipiac poll shows Clinton expanding her lead in Florida to five points, 46-41, reversing Trump’s momentum. But Quinnipiac shows Trump slightly widening his lead among likely voters in Ohio to 47-42.
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Clinton, Trump Spar Over Taxes originally appeared on usnews.com
