Tax issues plague Mr. Trump as they did Mr. Nixon. After Mr. Nixon reported he paid less than $1,600 in total federal taxes in 1970 and 1971, when his annual salary was about $200,000, he had a tortured explanation and famously said, “I am not a crook!” Eventually he wrote big checks for what he should have paid.
Mr. Trump’s income tax returns remain a mystery. We have no accurate idea of the financial conflicts between his job as president and his continuing connection to his company’s global network of real estate holdings, hotels and resorts. The Times has also reported that he engaged in “dubious” tax practices that may have included fraud. And during his testimony on Capitol Hill last week, Mr. Cohen said Mr. Trump on a number of occasions underreported his earnings to avoid paying taxes.
And like Mr. Trump, Mr. Nixon hated the press.
