On Saturday night, the New York Times released some of Donald Trump’s tax documents, which revealed that he suffered a $916 million loss in 1995. This may have allowed Trump to avoid federal taxes for nearly two decades. The process was perfectly legal, but the revelations chipped away at the mighty Trump brand, especially since he’s largely campaigning on the strength of his business prowess. Very quickly, Rudy Giuliani spun the story to declare Trump a “genius” for possibly not paying taxes. Likewise, Chris Christie called the story “very, very good” for Trump’s campaign because it shows he knows how to “maneuver” through the tax code like an expert.
Scott Baio has now surfaced to discuss Trump’s taxes with Fox Business’ Neil Cavuto. This appearance arrives after Baio said he’d put his career on the line to defend his candidate. Here, he finds inspiration in Trump’s $916 million loss and rebound, which Baio says is an American story:
“This guy lost his own money and then rebounded, because that’s what this country is all about. My father went through the same thing, though not at a billion-dollar level. And he didn’t ask anything from anybody, he picked himself up and he kept going.”
Baio didn’t have much insight to offer on the intricacies of taxes, but he did try to counter Cavuto’s assertion that Trump should have released his taxes a year ago: “Yes, maybe, no, maybe, I’m not him.” He also stood up against Cavuto’s slight dig at his acting career. Baio admitted he hasn’t worked in a few years but claims that’s because he doesn’t really want to do so. He’s taking care of his family, which is what’s important to him, along with helping Donald Trump become president. Baio also noted that he wasn’t thrilled to be dismissed by Hillary Clinton on her Between Two Ferns episode because “people tend to disappear around the Clintons that don’t agree with them.”
Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway has been conspicuously absent from the talk show circuit since the tax documents dropped. Perhaps a shouting Whoopi Goldberg scared her away from the subject for good, but Trump hasn’t been without support, including from Scott Baio.
