Speaking during a barbershop town hall hosted by Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends, former president, and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke about over taxation and how he sees eliminating the federal income tax as not only possible but a potential way forward to solve the over taxation burden.
Trump’s comments came when he was asked, by one questioner in the barber shop, “I believe, one of the biggest hurdles we have when it comes to attaining that American dream is overtaxation when it comes to federal taxes. I know we’re going to bring back, I’m sure you’re going to start back up the pipeline. The Keystone pipeline–” Trump interjected, “In two minutes.”
Continuing, Trump was asked directly if the income tax can be eliminated: “Which is going to generate an abundance of revenue. Also with the tariffs that you’ve spoken of. So, my question is with all this extra revenue we’re going to be bringing into the country. So, do you believe at some point in time we could find a way, once the country is back on its feet and getting enough revenue and paid off our debt, do you think it’s possible to find a way to eliminate federal taxes?”
Trump, responding, said that the idea that the federal income tax is entirely avoidable and can be gotten rid of. He said, replying, “There is a way. There is a way.” Continuing, former President Trump explained that in the past, America was quite able to fund itself without an income tax, instead relying on industry-protecting tariffs.
He said, making that assertion and referring to the tax-generation policies of the McKinley presidency and era, saying, “In the old days, when we were smart, when we were a smart country in the 1890s and all, this is when the country was relatively the richest it ever was. It had all tariffs. It didn’t have an income tax.”
Continuing, he noted that now America has an income tax that many perceive as being quite onerous and, in some cases, unpayable for normal people. He said, making that point, “Okay, now we have income taxes and we have people that are dying, they’re paying tax and they don’t have the money to pay the tax.”
He then commented on how wealthy he saw America as being when it funded things based on a tariff rather than income tax, saying, “You know, in the old days, 1890, 1880, we had so much money they had to set up committees, blue ribbon committees, how to spend our wealth. We had no idea how to spend, it was so much money.”
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And, contrasting that with the present, income tax-funded state of America, saying, “Then we went to the income tax system and the rest is sort of history.” He added, emphasizing that there is a way forward that doesn’t involve the income tax, “But no, there is a way. I mean, if we, if what I’m planning comes out — it’s a great question, by the way.”
Watch Trump here:
Trump made much the same argument on Joe Rogan’s podcast. Watch him here: