In a stunning display of detachment from public sentiment, President Trump recently claimed that taxing millionaires would not be “acceptable to the public.” This, despite the fact that polls consistently show overwhelming support for higher taxes on the wealthy.
In an interview published Friday, Trump said that he liked the “concept” of raising taxes on the rich to fund his policy proposals. But he quickly followed up with the absurd claim that such a move might be politically dangerous. “I love, that. I actually love the concept,” Trump told Time Magazine. “But I don’t want it to be used against me politically, because I’ve seen people lose elections for less, especially with the fake news.”
Trump’s comments come amid rising frustration across the country, where many Americans feel the wealthy should pay their fair share. Yet, Trump’s response suggests a complete disconnect from the very public pressure he faces. “The concept is something that may not be acceptable to the public,” he said, as though the idea of millionaires paying more in taxes is somehow radical. In reality, most people agree that the rich should shoulder more of the burden, especially when the nation is struggling with inequality.
Trump even went as far as warning that raising taxes on millionaires could be “disruptive.” His reasoning? Wealthy people would leave the country. “A lot of the millionaires would leave the country,” Trump said (video below). “Now with transportation so quick and so easy, they leave countries.” As if anyone seriously believes that a few extra tax dollars would cause the nation’s richest citizens to pack up and flee.
His suggestion that the rich could simply leave is laughable at best. Most people—who are struggling to make ends meet—would probably find it hard to sympathize with a billionaire worrying about the inconvenience of paying a little more in taxes. The idea that a slight tax increase would cause the wealthy to abandon the country entirely speaks to Trump’s clear disconnect with the average American’s reality.
The discussion about taxing millionaires has been on the table as part of a larger tax reform plan, with some Republicans proposing a 40% tax rate on incomes over $1 million. This would be a return to pre-2017 tax levels, before Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy slashed the top rate to 37%. But even this modest proposal has met with resistance, showing just how out of touch some Republican leaders are with the demands of the American people.
Trump’s reluctance to endorse higher taxes on the rich is a testament to how far he’s willing to go to protect the wealthiest Americans. His fear of political backlash—despite the public’s widespread support for such a move—highlights his priorities and how disconnected he is from the growing calls for fairness in the tax system. As millions of Americans call for the rich to pay their fair share, Trump’s resistance seems less like a political strategy and more like a refusal to acknowledge the needs of the people he claims to serve.
Watch the clip below:
Trump says he doesn't support a millionaire tax because millionaires would leave the country pic.twitter.com/bUSIcb5fgB
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 23, 2025
