Trump tax returns megathread

[Badger]

Trump also shows with this how little he cares about the Policy/Fire and Military he claims to love so much. No taxes from him means less to support them! Must mean Don Don hates America!

No no no, MJ. You clearly do not understand the Republican mindset on this. The problem isn't with not collect enough taxes, it's the rampant government spending that's the problem. That's the real source of people having to pay higher taxes and government debt, not tax loopholes.

Not joking

[Where's the Epstein Client List?]

If there is any anecdote that could most irrefutably hammer home that the Trumps are not rich, this is the one.

No wonder these yuckos get spurned by polite society at every turn.

Vanessa married Donald Trump Jr. on November 12, 2005. The wedding was held at the Mar-a-Lago club in Florida; the service was officiated by Trump Jr.'s aunt, Judge Maryanne Trump Barry.[20] Trump Jr. proposed to her with a $100,000 ring which he received as a gift from a jeweler in exchange for proposing to her in front of paparazzi outside of the jeweler's store in a New Jersey mall.[21]

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

So am I missing anything here.

1. Go heavily into debt, build stuff, go heavily into debt, build more stuff. Almost none of which generates positive cash flow.

2. Depend on property valuations to get more loans and then depend on negative cash flow to get out of paying taxes.

3. Use a variety of schemes, scams and pyramid schemes to maintain at least some case flow.

Remember when people gave Rubio hell for owing half a million in student loans? Trump, PERSONALLY, owes half a billion dollars.

It all makes sense now. The 1991 recession nearly wrecked Trump, precisely because his business model is a pile of bull sh@%t, but instead of blaming his failed business model, he develops a multi-decade grudge against the Bush family.

[Where's the Epstein Client List?]

3. Use a variety of schemes, scams and pyramid schemes to maintain at least some case flow.

Basically, lose a ton of money being a terrible, incompetent businessman and then generate enough money to live on and keep the creditors at bay with brand licensing, scam seminars and TV shows based on what a brilliant, successful businessman you are.

[darklordoftech]

he develops a multi-decade grudge against the Bush family.

I wonder if HW turning down his request to be VP was also a factor.

[ProudModerate2]

...
2. Depend on property valuations to get more loans and then depend on negative cash flow to get out of paying taxes.

You pretty-much have it all down, but it's not necessarily "negative cash flow."
It's really more about swindling and deception regarding the valuation of the assets, and the depreciation for them. It's basically "funny (tax) accounting" scam-ish methods.
(Separate matter: Not to mention how trump has probably valued those same assets differently to banks, regarding loans and open-lines-of-credit he has secured from them.)

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

he develops a multi-decade grudge against the Bush family.

I wonder if HW turning down his request to be VP was also a factor.

Wait is this real?

[Santander]

...
2. Depend on property valuations to get more loans and then depend on negative cash flow to get out of paying taxes.

You pretty-much have it all down, but it's not necessarily "negative cash flow."
It's really more about swindling and deception regarding the valuation of the assets, and the depreciation for them. It's basically "funny (tax) accounting" scam-ish methods.
(Separate matter: Not to mention how trump has probably valued those same assets differently to banks, regarding loans and open-lines-of-credit he has secured from them.)

Yes, but tax valuation is different from the valuation a bank would use. And the banks should be doing due diligence, regardless. I highly doubt Trump used illegal means for the vast majority of his tax avoidance (ahem, tax planning), or that he deceived banks to the extent of fraud. He didn't need to.

[darklordoftech]

he develops a multi-decade grudge against the Bush family.

I wonder if HW turning down his request to be VP was also a factor.

Wait is this real?

HW mentioned it in a memoir published well before 2015, and there’s this: https://www.cnn.com/2015/11/08/politics/donald-trump-george-bush-lee-atwater/index.html

And this: https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/262232-quayle-glad-bush-didnt-tap-trump-for-vp?amp