Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, made a direct appeal to service workers in Nevada, a crucial swing state, during a campaign rally in sweltering hot Las Vegas on Sunday. The pledge was part of a vague Trump tax plan that has so far included promises of tax relief to middle-income workers and small businesses. Trump told the crowd of several thousand people that he would seek to end the taxation of income from tips, a policy change that would benefit hotel workers and others who rely on tips as a significant source of income.
Under current law, tipped employees are required to report their tips as income, a provision that has been a source of frustration for many service workers. Trump’s pledge to eliminate taxation of tip income is an attempt to win over voters in Nevada, a state that polls suggest is leaning in his direction ahead of the November election. The former president promised to take action on the issue as soon as he takes office, saying that it would be a “fair” and “deserved” change.
Trump’s tax plan has been criticized by experts for its lack of detail, but this pledge provides a clearer vision of how he would affect the tax policies of middle-income workers, small businesses, and service industry employees. The plan has previously included a pledge to make permanent the individual tax cuts signed into law in 2017, which would add trillions to the US deficit over the next decade.
Donald Trump (Via Donald Trump/Twitter)The rally in Las Vegas was Trump’s second since his guilty verdict on May 30th, and it comes as he is facing a difficult re-election campaign against Democratic challenger Joe Biden. Trump’s supporters are galvanized by his acquittal, but it remains to be seen whether this momentum will translate into votes on election day. The temperature in Las Vegas reached 100F on Sunday, with organizers taking precautions to ensure the safety of attendees, including providing water bottles, misting fans, and emergency medical services.
Despite the sweltering heat, Trump supporters like Alex Maldonado, a 50-year-old father of three and military veteran, were undeterred. Maldonado, who plans to vote for Trump for the third time, expressed his disappointment with Biden’s handling of inflation, the southern border, and crime. Trump’s rally in Arizona on Thursday saw 11 people hospitalized with heat exhaustion, and similar conditions were reported in Las Vegas on Sunday.
Nevada is one of the critical swing states that will determine the outcome of the election, along with Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania, and others. A recent Fox News survey conducted after Trump’s guilty verdict showed him ahead of Biden in Nevada by five percentage points, a margin that is in line with an average of polls over time. Sunday’s rally comes on the heels of a three-day fundraising push by Trump, which included stops in San Francisco and Beverly Hills, where he raised millions of dollars from technology executives and other donors.