Why Trump’s Flip-Flop on Taxes Matters

First Read: “Donald Trump’s recent declaration that taxes for the wealthy should increase is an amazing turn of events in this presidential campaign and for the Republican Party. For starters, it’s a jaw-dropping flip-flop on policy.”

“But Trump’s position on taxes isn’t merely a policy flip-flop; it runs counter to today’s entire Republican Party and conservative movement. Think about if a Democratic presidential nominee called for repealing Obamacare, or admitted, ‘You know what — I think George W. Bush’s Iraq war was the right call after all.’ Folks, those things are the equivalent of your 2016 presumptive GOP presidential nominee calling for higher taxes on the rich. In our lifetime of covering politics, the position of almost every elected Republican politician has been that lower tax rates, including for the well-off, is the key to economic prosperity, and that any tax hike on the rich is to be opposed at all costs.”

“And so you can see how Trump’s position on taxes could make it hard for restoring unity with key Republicans, especially with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who is an ardent tax-cutter.”