Trump hints he won’t release tax returns until after he leaves office

President Trump hints in a new interview that he may wait until he leaves office to release his tax returns.

“I doubt it,” Trump said when asked by The Economist whether he would release his tax returns as part of a deal with Democrats over tax reform. “Nobody cares about my tax return except for the reporters.”

White House communications aide Hope Hicks then interjected, saying Trump would release his returns “once the audit is over.”

{mosads}Trump continued, saying he would “never consider” releasing his tax returns as part of a package deal for tax reform.

“At a certain point, that’s something I will consider. But I would never consider it as part of a deal,” Trump said.

Trump has maintained he will keep his returns private, citing an IRS audit. The IRS has said an audit does not prevent someone from releasing personal tax information. Trump is the first president in decades to not release his tax returns.

In the meantime, his critics are taking various approaches to force their release.

Most recently, Democrats in New York introduced a bill that would mandate the state to publicly post online the state tax returns of anyone elected in a statewide election to federal or state office. If passed, the legislation would affect Trump, who is a native New Yorker.