Donald Trump Backtracks On Payroll Tax Cuts, Gun Control Legislation
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump reportedly backtracked on two promises he had recently made.
As HuffPost reported, while speaking to reporters outside the White House, the president said that he is not looking to cut more taxes.
“I am not looking at a tax cut now. We don’t need it because we have a strong economy,” he said.
Earlier this week, however, the administration signaled a willingness to cut payroll taxes. Such a tax cut would likely increase consumer spending, and possibly help delay a recession, which could be around the corner, according to economists.
According to HuffPost, the Trump administration going for another tax cut would be interpreted as an admission that the economy needs a boost, which could be why the president is now hesitant to embrace the idea.
Trump has previously bragged about creating an economic “miracle” by signing into law the Republican Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which namely benefited corporations, as suggested in a report by the Congressional Budget Office which stated that the massive tax cut had done next to nothing for workers or the economy in general.
It has impacted the federal budget deficit, however, which is expected to exceed $1 trillion in 2019. Thanks to the tax cut, and an increase in spending, the government is bringing in less revenue than before.
Trump also seemingly backtracked on another promise today — gun control legislation.
In the aftermath of deadly mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, the president — after pressure from Democrats and the public alike — vowed to take action in regards to gun control.
Half of Trump voters would blame him for recession: poll https://t.co/uXTlFUTM0d pic.twitter.com/Bbxgq9D169
— The Hill (@thehill) August 21, 2019
“I’m looking to do background checks. I think we can bring up background checks like we’ve never had before… [Congress is] getting close to a bill,” the president said on August 7.
Today, Trump completely reversed himself, according to Vox.
“We already have strong background checks,” he said, adding that signing any new gun control measures would be a “slippery slope.”
Reporters pressed the president about the reversal, accusing him of echoing National Rifle Association (NRA) talking points.
Asked what happened to his appetite for background check legislation, Trump abruptly changes the topic to the border, then says "we're dealing with the NRA" — as if the gun lobby is a co-equal branch of government.
"It's a slippery slope," Trump adds, alluding to gun control. pic.twitter.com/QTSrE56Gt9
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 21, 2019
“No. It’s a Trump talking point… we have a Second Amendment and our Second Amendment will remain strong,” Trump responded, proceeding to argue that mass shootings and gun violence have more to do with mental health than with lack of gun control legislation.
As Vox noted, the president has reversed course on the issue of background checks a number of times. The publication concluded that Trump’s “talk about ‘background checks’ is just a lot of sound and fury meant to conceal the fact that he intends to do nothing.”
