Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney had a message Thursday for former President Trump: Don’t try to “out-Democrat” the Democrats.
Mulvaney, a contributor on NewsNation’s “The Hill,” turned to the camera and said, “Mr. President, please stop talking to the people or taking advice from the people who tell you to out-Democrat the Democrats.”
“Republicans always lose doing that. This is a terrible, terrible piece of policy,” he continued.
Mulvaney was referring to Trump’s reversal over the controversial state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap and other economic policy ideas, such as not taxing tips.
On Tuesday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he would work with “the Democrat Governor and mayor” to “turn it around” and “get SALT back.”
Trump’s 2017 tax cuts act capped SALT deductions at $10,000. It was deeply unpopular in Democratic states, where many higher income households used the uncapped deduction as a tax break.
Democrats were quick to point the flip-flop out. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) accused Trump of having “selective amnesia” for now championing uncapped SALT deductions.
The former president’s remarks come just days after he proposed ending taxes on overtime pay. Vice President Harris’s campaign dismissed the idea as a “desperate” vote grab and noted that during his administration, Trump opted not to defend Obama-era labor rules for overtime benefits.
Earlier this year, he also said he would end taxes on tips, an appeal to service workers. Harris has also said she supports this idea. Some have questioned how the proposal would work and noted that it could carry a hefty price tag.
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