Donald Trump said during the first presidential debate Monday that he would release his tax returns when Hillary Clinton releases her “deleted” emails.
Trump has yet to release his tax returns, bucking a decades-old presidential tradition and prompting suggestions that he could be “hiding something.” He has repeatedly said he will release them after the IRS completes a “routine audit,” but the audit does not actually prevent him from releasing the returns. Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine, both released their tax returns in early August and have hit Trump over his failure to do the same. Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, released a decade of his tax filings earlier this month.
Trump reiterated the audit as reason for not releasing his taxes, saying, “When the audit’s complete, I’ll do it.” He quickly shifted focus to Clinton’s 33,000 “deleted” emails.
“I will release my tax returns against my lawyers wishes, when she releases her 33,000 deleted emails,” Trump said.
Trump and his campaign have offered many shifting explanations for why he isn’t releasing his tax returns. His son recently said it would raise too many questions and distract from his campaign message.