Trump: 'It's My Job To Minimize The Overall Tax Burden To The Greatest Possible Extent'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Donald Trump is back on the campaign trail for the first time since The New York Times reported the billionaire may not have paid any federal income taxes for 18 years.
Trump stuck to his script at an event in Virginia on Monday morning, using a teleprompter while speaking to a group of retired military leaders, called Retired American Warriors, CBS2's Brian Conybeare reported. He defended his tax write-off as smart business.
"It's my job to minimize the overall tax burden to the greatest possible extent which allows me to reinvest in neighborhoods, workers and build amazing properties," Trump said.
The speech focused on defending the nation from hackers and high-tech terrorists, using Hillary Clinton's private email server as an example, Conybeare reported.
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"We should turn cyber warfare into one of our greatest weapons against the terrorists," Trump said. "Hillary Clinton's only experience in cyber security involves her criminal scheme to violate federal law engineering a massive cover-up, and putting the entire nation in harm's way."
During last week's first presidential debate, Clinton raised the issue of Trump's past taxes.
On Sunday, the Times reported Trump took a more than $900 million loss on his 1995 federal income tax returns, that could have allowed him to avoid paying any taxes for as long as 18 years.
On "CBS This Morning," Times reporters discussed their anonymous source and how they verified the documents with the accountant who signed Trump's returns.
"This is a really important matter at a critical time in the campaign so what we did is we went through all the things that made us doubt, or be skeptical of these documents one by one," Times senior writer David Barstow said.
Trump supporters, such as former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, say the tax writeoff shows Trump's business acumen.
"The reality is, he's a genius," Giuliani said on "Meet the Press" Sunday morning.
The Trump campaign issued a statement saying, "Mr. Trump knows the tax code far better than anyone who has ever run for president and he is the only one that knows how to fix it."
Clinton tweeted Monday, "Can a man who lost $1 billion in one year, stiffed small businesses, and may have paid no taxes really claim he's 'good at business?'"
Can a man who lost $1 billion in one year, stiffed small businesses, and may have paid no taxes really claim he's "good at business"? pic.twitter.com/ZeXgrkJhzj
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 3, 2016
During a speech on the economy in Toledo, Ohio, Monday afternoon, Clinton gleefully went after Trump over the Times report.
"Now how anybody can lose a dollar, let alone a billion dollars in the casino industry, is kinda beyond me, right?" Clinton said, adding, "What kind of genius loses a billion dollars in a single year?"
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a Democrat, sent a letter directing the non-profit Donald J. Trump Foundation to "cease soliciting contributions or engaging in any other fundraising activities in New York," because the charity has not filed the proper financial reports, or registered with the state.
The Trump campaign said his foundation will comply with the attorney general's order. That foundation has 15 days to get its paperwork in order in New York.
CBS2's Tony Aiello reports a new CBS News poll shows that Clinton holds a four-point lead over Trump nationally -- 45 to 41 percent.
The poll also found that 32 percent of likely voters said the first debate made them think better of Clinton, and only 10 percent said they think better of Trump.
On Tuesday night, vice presidential nominees Mike Pence and Tim Kaine will take center stage at Longwood University in Virginia for their first debate.