Patriots pay taxes, and American presidents should be proud to prove that. That, according to the organizers and participants of Saturday’s tax day rally, to take place in New York City and dozens of other communities around the country.
Thousands of people are expected to take part in the Tax March rallies on April 15, which could be among the biggest single-day coordinated action since the Women’s March on Jan. 21. The events will call on President Trump to release his tax returns, something he promised to do as a candidate but has so far refused. Organizers say his steadfast position speaks to the commander-in-chief’s continued lack of transparency.
White House aide Kellyanne Conway said in January that “we litigated this all through the election. People didn’t care.”
What is the Tax March?
The Tax March aims to prove that people do care about his refusal to release his taxes. Protesters will call on the Trump administration to make good on his campaign promise in 2016 to release his returns after the election, and demand that the president prove his integrity as a businessman and as a tax-paying citizen.
Protesters claim Trump’s true worth, appropriate payment of income to the government, details of his bankruptcies, charitable contributions and his business interests across the globe remain a blind spot on his legitimacy without transparency.
Where and when will the Tax March take place?
The New York City protest will take place on April 15, from 1 to 4 p.m., beginning at Bryant Park (between 5th and 6th avenues, and 40th and 42nd streets).
As of Friday, the event’s Facebook page registered 15,000 people as saying they planned to attend and 32,000 saying they were interested.
The march will proceed north on 6th Avenue and will end in front of the Trump International Hotel in Columbus Circle. Traditionally, the last day to file taxes without penalty is April 15, though the federal government this year extended it to Tuesday, April 18.
Tax March protests will also take place on Saturday in more than 100 cities across the country, as well as several international demonstrations in Germany, Japan, New Zealand, England, and a worldwide “Virtual March.”
What will happen at the march?
In addition to a series of speeches, protesters at the Bryant Park rally will have a chance to sign a 10-foot-tall inflatable chicken, meant to symbolize Trump’s fear of exposing his finances.
How can you support the march without going?
A Crowdrise page was established to help pay for the Trump-themed chicken balloon, and had raised nearly $2,000 as of Wednesday. The official TaxMarch.org page also has a portal to donate money to the cause.
The official website also has a downloadable Digital Supporter Toolkit. It instructs how to contribute support through social media using the official hastag #TaxMarch and its Twitter handle, @taxmarch. It provides several graphics to share with prewritten tweets and Facebook posts for an organized effort and cohesive message.
Organizers are also selling commerative T-shirts in several different styles. The “Chicken Don” shirt, printed with the words, “What’s that chicken hiding?” has a cartoon chicken (with a Trump-styled hair) sitting atop an egg adorned with question marks. Other short and long sleeve options have a Trump profile under a magnifying glass, and yet another has a cartoon of Trump in striped prison clothes with a bag of money slung over his shoulder.
