Opinion: It’s time to stop believing that Trump can be persuaded to release his tax returns

To the editor: By now, before President Trump’s first 100 days in office are completed, we have witnessed his erratic, flip-flop, intemperate style of governance by tweets. That he will release tax returns, current and past, is pointless fantasy. (“Enough excuses. Release your taxes, Mr. President,” editorial, April 18)

Trump will continue to profit from all his business ventures, ignoring lawsuits and calls for accountability. Taxpayers will continue to pay the price for his Palm Beach weekends, security for his family in multiple locations and their vacations and global business trips. Lacking political know-how, ignorant of geopolitical realities and absent historical perspective, Trump is taking this country down a perilous path.

This is a frightening scenario for the days and years to come.

Lenore Navarro Dowling, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Trump said that “someone should look into who paid” for the rallies calling on him to release his tax returns, hinting that if citizens want to use their right to free speech, they must be paid to do so.

The citizens of this country have the right to learn whether or not Trump has an interest in business dealings with Russia and other countries that may prove to be conflicts of interest as well as ethical misdeeds. Trump is behaving in a manner that suggests he is indeed so involved and therefor doesn’t want the facts to be known.

If Trump would simply release the tax returns, he could exonerate himself — or do the opposite.

Tom Hamman, Huntington Beach

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