NYC Will Investigate Whether Trump Paid City Taxes, Mayor Says

NEW YORK CITY — A bombshell report detailing how President Donald Trump paid little to no personal income taxes will guide a New York City probe into whether he "cheated" the city as well, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

De Blasio called revelations from the New York Times report "appalling" during a Monday interview on Errol Louis' "Inside City Hall" on NY1.

The New York Times obtained two decades of Trump's tax returns, which showed he didn't pay federal income taxes in 10 of the past 15 years. When he did pay in 2016 and 2017, he only forked over $750 each year.

"Well, I think we can guarantee based on the information from New York Times, that he hasn't paid his City taxes the way he should have," de Blasio told Louis. "Look, this is going to give us a lot of information to work with, and our City Finance Department will get to work right away to determine if, in fact, the President of the United States cheated New York City on his taxes. But I think it's a foregone conclusion at this point, given everything we've seen from this guy."

Trump for years fought against releasing his tax returns. The Times report details, among other revelations, that he has hemorrhaged money for years on failing business deals, took personal responsibility for $421 million in debt that is due in a few short years and received a $72.9 tax refund currently under audit by the I.R.S.

On Twitter, Trump lambasted the report and claimed he paid millions of dollars in taxes, though he noted he was "entitled" to depreciation & tax credits...."

De Blasio and Louis both expressed disbelief that Trump, a self-proclaimed billionaire, paid so little in personal federal income taxes.

"I was trying to wrap my mind around the notion that I paid more for my iPhone than he appears to have paid the taxes..." Louis said.

"Well, Errol, you've paid a lot more in taxes — you've paid a lot more in taxes, I've paid a lot more taxes to New York City than Donald Trump," de Blasio said.

Mayor: Well, I think we can guarantee based on the information from New York Times, that he hasn't paid his City taxes the way he should have. Look, this is going to give us a lot of information to work with, and our City Finance Department will get to work right away to determine if, in fact, the President of the United States cheated New York City on his taxes. But I think it's a foregone conclusion at this point, given everything we've seen from this guy. I mean, this is appalling. And I think a lot of his supporters are going to look at this and be very angry that it's the least patriotic thing you could do to use your wealth and power to evade the taxes you owe the people of this country. And I think it's going to come back to bite him, but yeah, we're going to pursue this with all we got because he needs to pay his fair share.

Louis: Yeah. I was trying to wrap my mind around the notion that I paid more for my iPhone than he appears to have paid the taxes –

Mayor: Well, Errol, you've paid a lot more in taxes – you've paid a lot more in taxes, I've paid a lot more taxes to New York City than Donald Trump –