(Reuters) — U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday (October 3) appeared to complain about the public attention he has received over his leaked 1995 of tax filing which showed he had over $900 million in losses that year.
The New York Times first reported the story, saying the losses were from bad business deals in the 1990s. Experts have said the losses might have allowed Trump to avoid paying federal income taxes for 18 years.
“The news media is now obsessed with an alleged file from the 1990s, a long time ago, at the end of one of the most brutal economic downturns in our country’s history,” Trump told a large crowd of his supporters at an arena in Loveland, Colorado.
The Trump campaign has not said, however, that the Times’ story was inaccurate. Instead, his supporters, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie have contended that Trump’s aggressive use of provisions under U.S. law to minimize his tax liability was evidence of his “genius” as a businessman and real estate investor.
Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for the Nov. 8 election, has seized on the report, arguing the tax records undercut Trump’s business acumen.
“And by the way, George Soros declared $1.5 billion in losses in six months and in 2014 Warren Buffett lost $873 million,” Trump told the crowd in Loveland.
“I wonder if they deducted that? You think? No, I don’t think so. I don’t think so. Why would they ever do a thing like that, right?” he added.
The flap over Trump’s taxes comes during what has been a difficult stretch for the candidate, who faced criticism for his performance in the Sept. 26 debate against Clinton and his subsequent public spat with former Miss Universe Alicia Machado.
A Reuters/Ipsos online poll last week showed a majority of Americans felt Clinton won the debate, the first of three scheduled between the candidates..
On Monday, the state of New York ordered Trump’s charity, the Trump Foundation, to suspend raising money amid a probe into its activities.
