No, Donald Trump Didn’t Say He’ll Tax The Rich, He Said Something Stranger

Donald Trump is breaking with the party line, saying that the rich are willing to pay more taxes. Previously, the businessman said he’d lower taxes for everyone, and he didn’t technically break from that position, explaining that the wealthy would probably just come out with higher taxes after working on a deal with Congress.

“I am willing to pay more, and you know what, the wealthy are willing to pay more,” Trump said on ABC’s This Week.

Reuters reports that he went on to explain that his tax plan reduces the tax burden for everyone, but that there will be a negotiation on the matter.

“We’re going to submit the optimum. That’s what I’d like to get and we’ll fight for it. But from a practical standpoint, it’s going to get renegotiated. And in my opinion, the taxes for the rich will go up somewhat.”

Donald Trump has often praised himself as an excellent negotiator, and public policy is traditionally a matter of debate and compromise, but few politicians ever openly speculate on the final outcome. Conservatives have been particularly stubborn on tax issues, especially since George H.W. Bush famously went back on his campaign promise “read my lips, no new taxes.”

Hillary Clinton once chided Trump for making everything a negotiation, painting him as a chronic flip-flopper that will say anything to be elected. At the same time, pundits and politicians on both sides condemn the political gridlock that’s dominated modern national politics. It’s difficult to know if compromise is a trait voters are looking for.

Still, he did say there is something he won’t tolerate – tax increases on the middle class.

According to CNN, Trump said, “And I will fight like hell for that.”

Even more unusual, Trump also said that he’d probably start with a figure lower than what he’s really aiming for.

“And then we’re going start negotiating. So if I want to get lower taxes, which is very important to me, I’m not going to put in high taxes. And I’m not even going to put in what I necessarily want. I’m going to put in lower than I want, and we’re going to negotiate.”

Once again, starting a negotiation with a unrealistic figure is nothing new, but publicly admitting to starting with one months in advance is (and defeats the purpose).

Trump went on to explain, “Under my proposal, it’s the biggest tax cut by far, of any candidate by far. But I’m not under the illusion that that’s going to pass.”

Donald Trump also commented on the federal minimum wage, saying that he’s “open to doing something with it.”

He confessed that he didn’t know how people could live on the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, but he didn’t have a hard number on what the minimum wage should be. The real estate mogul added that it’s an issue better left to the states, but it really didn’t matter much anyways.

“But my real minimum wage is going to be – I’m going to bring companies back into this country and they’re going to make a lot more than the $15 even.”

Donald Trump has been the presumptive nominee for the Republican party since May 4th. The final realization was a shock for some people – as previously reported by the Inquisitr, Paul Ryan says he still needs time before endorsing the presidential candidate. Trump’s comments might be the first sign of a more general election-friendly candidate.

Trump’s insistence on This Week that “you need flexibility” to get things done makes him seem more like an outsider than ever before. What other compromises would he entertain? Could the wall be a moat? Could the plan to deport all undocumented immigrants include legal status for some people?

Donald Trump’s compromising philosophy has a advantage as far campaigning goes – it takes the wind out of critics who call him a “proto-fascist.” Tyrants don’t compromise; Donald Trump does – it’s just a quality that’s hard to judge.

[Photo by Mark Lyons/Getty Images]