Trump tax march: Thousands urge president to release finances

The adopted emblem of the march is an oversized inflatable chicken with blond hairstyle like Mr TrumpImage copyright
AFP / Getty Images

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An oversized inflatable chicken, meant to resemble Mr Trump, toured the area in DC

Protests have been taking place across the United States to call on President Donald Trump to release his tax returns.

Tax March organisers say they have arranged demonstrations in more than 150 locations.

Mr Trump broke a long-held tradition by not releasing his paperwork during his presidential campaign.

His critics want to know who he has been dealing with and if there are any conflicts of interest.

“I think it is critical we know about his investments, his donations and any entanglements he has,” said one protester, Chuck Wash, at a march in Washington DC.

There is no law requiring presidents to release their tax returns, but Mr Trump has found himself under public pressure and some information from a 2005 tax return was leaked to the media last month.

The protests were timed to coincide with the traditional mid-April deadline for Americans to file their tax returns.

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AFP/ Getty Images

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Some people want President Trump’s returns to see if he has any links to Russia

The idea for the themed march came from law professor Jennifer Taub, who was angered when presidential adviser Kellyanne Conway said President Trump would not be releasing his tax returns because “people don’t care”.

In January, Ms Taub tweeted of the need for a nationwide protest to show the president that many people do care.

The idea quickly caught on.

“I wanted to express myself and never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be standing here today, seeing this idea that I tweeted out in January come to life,” she told the BBC at the Washington DC march.

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@jentaub

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The tweet was sent the day after the president’s inauguration

Ms Taub said the march had broader aims than just wanting to see the president’s paperwork.

“This is also about having a tax system that is fair,” she said. “Both in terms of making sure everyone pays their fair share and also in taking public resources – our taxes – and spending them on things that make everyone flourish.”

She said less should be spent on wars, and more should go to public service television and the Meals on Wheels programme, which Mr Trump has made funding cuts to in the first months of his presidency.

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Reuters

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Comedian Sarah Silverman spoke at the New York protest

Congresswoman Maxine Waters, a Democrat from California, was also at the march in Washington DC.

She said the Trump administration has a “huge” transparency problem.

“He [Trump] talked about draining the swamp and making everything transparent. He lied again,” said Ms Waters.

She also criticised Friday’s announcement that President Donald Trump will not release the logs of those who visit the White House,.

The White House cited “grave national security risks and privacy concerns” as the reason for its decision, reversing former President Barack Obama’s voluntary disclosure policy.

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Reuters

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A President Trump clown was seen at the tax march in Philadelphia

Participants used the hashtags #showusyourtaxes to share their images on social media.

President Trump’s supporters have also gone online to express their support for the president.

One Twitter user accused protesters of “flogging a dead horse” and many said they had no interest in seeing the returns.

Trump tax march: Thousands urge president to release finances