Donald Trump Would ‘Put Country First’ and Pay More Taxes
EmailDonald Trump backed up fellow billionaire Warren Buffett’s op-ed in the New York Times and said he’d be willing to pay more in taxes – but he doesn’t think Wall Street would go along with it.
“I would be willing to George, but a lot of people wouldn't be. A lot of people would leave the country. I'm talking about big people, job-producing people. Would I be willing? Yeah, I'd be willing. I’d put country first. Lot of people don't necessarily put country first,” he said.
Trump said these “unpatriotic” businessmen would take their money elsewhere leaving the U.S. with nothing.
“I deal with Wall Street all the time. I know all of them…You're going to have a mass exodus. You already have an exodus out of this country. But you're going to have a mass exodus of business out of this country when you start taxing too high,” he said.
Except when it comes to oil, and specifically OPEC. Trump says we should close the loopholes on oil companies, a position that sets him apart from many in the Tea Party.
“If you go back to certain companies, Exxon Mobil, the oil companies, for us to be subsidizing oil companies is absolutely insane. And frankly, the oil companies really facilitate OPEC. The worst abuser we have is OPEC,” he said.
“Every time the economy gets good, oil goes up…So what they do is they systematically destroy any momentum you get. Because oil should be selling at $25 to $30 a barrel right now,” Trump said.
What else does Trump want to tax? Chinese products, in order to get the country to stop manipulating their currency, he said.
“You put a 25% tax on Chinese products, products coming into this country, two things are going to happen. Number one, this country's going to take in a bundle of money,” he said. “And number two, a lot of people won't have their products made in China. They'll start being made in Alabama, in Iowa, in New York, in Texas and lots of other places.”
And if that starts a trade war? That’s okay, he says, because we shouldn’t be trading when there is such an imbalance, it’s not fair trade.
“The fact is, China is not our friend. I was asked, ‘Are they our enemy?’ I said, ‘Yeah. Actually, they're our enemy. China is our enemy.’ What they're doing to us is unbelievable.”
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Wish he had ran for president
Posted by: karek40 | August 17, 2011, 7:55 am 7:55 am
The Treasury takes donations.
Posted by: BCT | August 17, 2011, 8:02 am 8:02 am
Spot on about China. 90% of the goods most Americans buy are made in China. With all the unions, potential lawsuits, wage laws, etc in the USA, we will NEVER be able to compete financially against the Chinese who are willing to work for much less than the typical lazy American who thinks they’re entitled to everything and anything. Putting tarrifs on Chinese goods is the quick and dirty fix; with a billion people over there, some will certainly be willing to take the hit for a dollar.
Posted by: JamesJ | August 17, 2011, 8:11 am 8:11 am
I have said it about Warren Buffet, I’ve said it about Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, and now I will say it about Mr. Trump—If you want to pay more in taxes, then (1) WRITE THE CHECK RIGHT NOW to the IRS, and (2) stop putting your wealth in tax exempt “investments” and tax exempt “trust funds” and make that money subject to taxes in the first place, even at the current rates. What a bunch of two faced phonies……
Posted by: MNResident | August 17, 2011, 8:14 am 8:14 am
All the capitalists are complaining about the Chinese, but they’re just doing what capitalists have been telling everyone to do all along: find a way to do it cheaper and the world will beat a path to your door.
Posted by: WorkingClass | August 17, 2011, 8:20 am 8:20 am
Talk is cheap. If you want to impress me, back up your words with a big fat check. Otherwise, just shut up and keep taking advantage of those tax loopholes.
Posted by: mijoje1 | August 17, 2011, 8:28 am 8:28 am
Oil should be at $25 a barrel. The high gas prices we have hurt us.
Say, isn’t one of the goals of the global warming crowd to have high gas prices? I think it is.
Posted by: Kate | August 17, 2011, 8:39 am 8:39 am
MNRESIDENT:
We want the money from you if you are super rich. You havn’t been paying your fare share. You sent middle class people to fight your 4 trillion war without a war tax for the first time in our history. You took the money and ran and know they are coming home and need jobs. So either you produce jobs and make even more money or we are going to take more taxes from you. You are lucky to live in a place where you can have such a fortune and freedom. Stop whining about you spoiled b.
Posted by: brian | August 17, 2011, 8:50 am 8:50 am
KATE:
You mean that crowd that believes what 98% of the scientists say that climate change is real and is man made. Your a tool..
Posted by: brian | August 17, 2011, 8:52 am 8:52 am
Glad to hear it. If The Donald can afford to have walls made of onyx, in his Manhattan condo, he jolly well can afford higher taxes.
Posted by: Christine | August 17, 2011, 8:54 am 8:54 am
I get happy when someonetalks like Mr. Trump, industries should come back to this country, not go to China. My husband and I try to buy Things that are made in the USA, but is not easy. I like your views Mr. Trump.
Posted by: Graciela | August 17, 2011, 9:08 am 9:08 am
We don’t have a revenue problem, Trump.
We have a SPENDING PROBLEM. ‘Nuff said.
Posted by: NOBAMA 2012 | August 17, 2011, 9:08 am 9:08 am
Funny how these clowns always threaten to “leave” the country … I wish they would – they already stash money overseas, while sucking the government, and the forgiving US regulatory system for every government subsidy, and any other cash they can get their greedy hands on. What a joke – as if they wouldn’t have to “pay taxes” (way more BTW), in EVERY other country worth living in … LOL!
Posted by: yeah.i.said.it | August 17, 2011, 9:16 am 9:16 am
Consider this factoid:
Apple made $7.7 Billion in profit last quarter, and for every iPod/iPhone/Macbook Apple sells, Apple makes $400 – $600 in profit.
Apple has 950,000 Chinese slaves toiling 65 hour week getting paid at $1 per hour, via Foxconn often working in subhuman conditions.
Trump is totally clueless. The blame lies with US Corporations outsourcing jobs.
The job situation has nothing to do with Obama or China. It is everything to do with wall st. and corporate execs.
Posted by: pkyl | August 17, 2011, 9:22 am 9:22 am
Mark my words. The greed of the wealthy individuals and corporations in this country will end life as we used to know it in the U.S. Granted, there are many places where spending needs to be cut; however, when you start cutting programs that the elderly, poor, and middle class need to survive (i.e., medicare, social security, etc.), you will bring the country to its knees. The poor and middle class cannot continue to fit the bill, while the wealthiest pay less in taxes than the rest of us. WE NEED MORE REVENUE, and the average Americans shouldn’t be the ones who have to do all the sacrificing for the rich.
Posted by: Skeeter | August 17, 2011, 9:50 am 9:50 am
Say, isn’t one of the goals of the global warming crowd to have high gas prices? I think it is.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Not anymore than it is the goal of Miller to have people die from drunk driving…or S&W to have kids kill their parents with their own guns.
Posted by: tibs13 | August 17, 2011, 10:02 am 10:02 am
James G: About Warren Buffet, Trump, and Mark Dayton of MN– if it were up to just THEM, they would change the laws. I don’t know if you’re a Minnesotan (I am)…and I can tell you, Dayton WANTS to change the tax rates and would change the laws, but REPUBLICANS won’t let him do it.
Posted by: Z | August 17, 2011, 10:08 am 10:08 am
Wow there are a lot of idiots posting here. I’m a Democrat and this article actually makes me think Trump might be a good president– if he could accomplish what he wanted to do! As Obama found out however, there are a lot of people in Congress that don’t care about the country, just the next election.
Posted by: Z | August 17, 2011, 10:18 am 10:18 am
Brian wrote:
“98% of the scientists say that climate change is real ”
yeah and they write emails to each other, advising how to suppress evidence to the contrary.
Just because a ‘scientist’ says something doesn’t mean it’s true.
Protecting government grant money that comes to their institutions and organizations is high on the list for a lot of these ‘scientists’ as we saw when the whole coverup was exposed.
Posted by: Joe White | August 17, 2011, 10:44 am 10:44 am
Many of you are missing what Trump and Buffett are saying,that the tax code needs to be redone.Both of them are stating the obvious,that the tax code rewards owning a stock option for fifteen minutes,by being taxed at 15%,but makes wage earners pay up to 35% for hard work and reinvestment.Also the fact that the mega rich can afford tax loopholes that are not available to the wage earner,or businessman.But they are both shewd businesspeople and will take all the deductions that are legally allowed……but they also pointed out that the mega rich are neither sharing or sacrificing as we have been ask to do.
Posted by: a sane txn | August 17, 2011, 10:49 am 10:49 am
How does he think all that manufacturing went to China in the 1st place? People like him and Richard Nixon. If the Big Shots on Wall Street don’t want to pay their fair share in the US, let them take their factories and move to some 3rd world country. I can’t believe anyone listens to this guy – what a slimebag.
Posted by: Oliviaheart | August 17, 2011, 11:29 am 11:29 am
Someone said it earlier – I believe there is a spot on your tax return where you can make a voluntary contribution to reduce the debt. If Trump and Buffet are so eager to pay more taxes, why haven’t they been contributing all along?
Posted by: Diane | August 17, 2011, 2:28 pm 2:28 pm
I agree with Trump on the topic of tariffs on Chinese goods as our trade deficit is terrible.
I also agree that we shouldn’t be giving tax breaks to oil companies.
Posted by: Lydia | August 17, 2011, 2:50 pm 2:50 pm
The 1975 Olds Cutlas that got 52 m.pg.This was experimental,but it worked.Big shots decided if mass produced,jobs would be lost.Um no! You lie like a cheap rug!
Posted by: boe-boetheman | August 17, 2011, 6:01 pm 6:01 pm
A Sane Txn wrote:
“the tax code rewards owning a stock option for fifteen minutes,by being taxed at 15%,but makes wage earners pay up to 35% for hard work ”
Then lower the 35% to 15%, don’t raise the 15% to 35%.
Posted by: Joe White | August 17, 2011, 8:15 pm 8:15 pm
If only he had paid his debts. He is a leech whom the American taxpayers had to bail out three times.
This pitiful excuse of a human being needs to just shut up and hide his rather ugly face. He does not even look “human” anymore.
Posted by: muffet | August 17, 2011, 9:32 pm 9:32 pm
If there is an exodus of the wealthy, do we really WANT those people in our country in the first place?
Citizenship’s requirements are loyalty to country. If a bunch of selfish rich people want to live in North Korea instead of the USA for the tax benefits, fine by me, don’t let the door hit your rear end on the way out.
Posted by: Rick | August 18, 2011, 9:16 am 9:16 am
If you close the loopholes for shipping jobs overseas, eliminate oil companies subsidy and raise tax on the rich…this country and everyone who live in it will benefit and bring this country to prosperity. Now for Chinese tariff…they way I see China and the corporations who shipped jobs there are as such: The corporations and China give us a lollipop and then they suck on it without you even know what happen. I agreed we need to tax import goods from China…this will force the corporations like Apple Computer to think twice about shipping jobs there in the future. Also since most of our product comes from China these days…why do us (America) still continue to buy product from companies who we know have slave labor making these products? aren’t we at fault here as well because we are supporting them? Everyone these days are blaming others and pointing fingers. If we as a nation stood our ground and voice our concerns and intentions when the first company who opened a factory overseas…we won’t be in this situation with China. I blame myself and so should everyone else who supported them…but in reality I know that’s not the case because everyone from Washington to China have “Special Interest” you know…their cash cows. one last point…I don’t think people need to worry about 950,000 jobs in China when you have 9.5% of the US population who are out of work.
Posted by: Roger | August 18, 2011, 2:33 pm 2:33 pm
Mr. Trump is a hypocrit … mouthing off when he should be tending to his own, which by the way: “As first reported by Salon.com, the Trump wear sold in Macy’s, part of the Donald J. Trump Signature Collection, is manufactured overseas, including ties in more than 50 different styles and colors (all made in China), suits (made in Mexico and Vietnam), and dress shirts (five styles made in China).”
Posted by: Loopy | August 20, 2011, 1:33 am 1:33 am
I can’t believe the silliness.
To tell rich people that call for more taxes on themselves to write a check is theater. Why not make all taxes voluntary. Imagine the crappy national defense or the backlog in the courts or the lack of police and fire protection.
To say it is a spending problem, not a revenue problem is equally stupid. A budget is defined by revenues and spending. This deficit is largely a result of the Bush tax cuts. It is part of the equation.
I am amazed how people buy these inaccurate political slogans, and then repeat them like a bunch of parrots.
Posted by: JoeMoe | August 20, 2011, 9:01 am 9:01 am
History has shown that those who can’t adapt and compete in an ever changing world will fall to the wayside and rightfully so. The future belongs to those that can adapt to current conditions instead of clinging to past glories that will never return.
The fair price for anything is any price the market will bear. This includes workers; if a company can fill their vacancies offering $5 dollars an hour then it would be silly to offer any more than that. Anything else would be socialism.
Posted by: Joe | August 20, 2011, 5:15 pm 5:15 pm
The way I look at it is the government needs to stop spending money they don’t have. Stop looking at tomorrow for the cash they don’t have yet in there pockets. Pay there bills off before making new ones. Stop making new comity to decide what color a stop sign should be. And stop adding to the dept. Stop giving free money out to foreign countries unless we are going to own them “take them over”. One more thing stop adding more government jobs that take money from tax payers. Remember one thing money comes from the private sector “tax payers” not from government jobs “cops, fire fighters, senators, councilman’s, teachers, state employees”.
Posted by: todd | October 6, 2011, 1:25 pm 1:25 pm
sorry but all these rich guys pay hundreds of tax accountants million to hide their money and then saying they would gladly pay more…IS A JOKE! Time for FLAT TAX no loopholes!
Posted by: Barry | October 19, 2011, 2:43 pm 2:43 pm