PHOTO ESSAY BY DONNA ACETO | On Saturday, April 15 thousands of protesters turned out at Bryant Park in Midtown for a Tax Day protest demanding that President Donald Trump release his tax returns — joining tens of thousands nationwide in doing so. In the nearly two years since the president first announced his run for office, his refusal to release his returns has been bolstered by a changing array of excuses — ranging from his claim he is under audit to that the issue was litigated in the election and nobody except the media cares (since November 8) to, again, that he is under audit since every president’s returns are subject to automatic audit every year (the latest).
Protesters included celebrities such as Sarah Silverman and Debra Messing, labor leaders such as Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (at center in the image with the Tax March banner), and elected officials including Borough President Gale Brewer, West Side State Senator Brad Hoylman, and Public Advocate Letitia James.
The protest came amidst signs, reported in the New York Times, that Trump’s intransigence on the issue may be creating problems in Congress for his hopes of a major tax reform overhaul this year — a stumble that could add to his list of unfulfilled campaign promises. — Additional reporting by Paul Schindler
