Trump says he "never spoke" to Treasury secretary about releasing tax returns
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump said he never spoke to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin about releasing his tax returns, after Mnuchin said last week that Mr. Trump has "no intention" of releasing them.
"Well, I never spoke to him about it. Honestly, he's never asked me about it," Mr. Trump said from the White House in an interview that aired Sunday on CBS News' "Face the Nation."
"I said, number one, I'm under audit," the president continued. "Right now, I'm under audit. After the audit is complete. It's a routine audit, but I have a very big tax return. You've seen the pictures. My tax return is probably higher than that from the floor. When you look at other people's tax return, even other wealthy people, their tax return is this big. My tax return is this high."
Mr. Trump's tax returns have again become an issue for the White House as Mr. Trump looks to launch tax reform
legislation. In an announcement about the administration's plans for tax cuts last week, Mnuchin said that "the president has no intention" -- referring to the possibility of Mr. Trump releasing his tax returns.
"The president has released plenty of information, and I think has given more financial disclosure than anybody else," Mnuchin said. "I think the American population has plenty of information."
Gary Cohn, director of the White House National Economic Council, reiterated that sentiment Thursday on Fox News, saying that people are "wasting time" asking for the president's tax returns.
The plan Mnuchin and Cohn announced last week has been criticized for being sparse on details. As of Sunday, for instance, the White House had not announced any income brackets for the three tax rates of 10 percent, 25 percent and 35 percent.
In his interview with "Face the Nation," which took place on Mr. Trump's 100th day in office, the president addressed the question of whether his plan would add to the budget deficit.
The president said any would-be revenue losses are "going to be made up by" economic growth and better trade deals.
Additional coverage of the interview with Mr. Trump will air Monday on "CBS This Morning," broadcasting from inside the White House.