Frustration with President Donald Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns imbued the Tax March rally at the State Capitol on Saturday.
Hundreds attended the rally, which was held in conjunction with about 200 other rallies across the country on the day when tax returns are usually due. (This year’s due date is Tuesday, April 18.)
On a large scale, the Tax March focused on financial accountability for government and elected officials, and many of this year’s speakers stayed close to that theme.
“Let’s all be fair,” said emcee Pippi Ardennia. “This has no partisanship. This is all about following the money. Why aren’t we getting transparency?”
“This corruption makes people feel like they can’t trust their government, because they can’t see what’s going on,” said Rep. Betty McCollum, D-St. Paul.
Although organizers of the Tax March were careful to stress the rally would not be “a political party issue,” dissatisfaction with Trump and perceptions that he is influenced by foreign and financial interests emerged as prominent themes. Trump is the first U.S. president since the 1970s to not voluntarily release his tax returns and has been dogged by accusations of unethical conduct for not fully separating himself from his real estate and hospitality empire while in office.
“(Trump’s) got more entanglements than a game of Twister with 1,000 people,” quipped St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman.
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Keynote speaker Richard Painter was less glib. Painter is associated with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which has sued President Trump for allegedly violating the Constitution, and Painter has been a vocal critic of Trump since the president’s inauguration.
“Money is what decided our election in 2016,” he said. “That’s where we need to draw the line.”
“Our independence is at stake here,” he added.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minneapolis; State Sen. John Marty, D-Roseville; Rep. Laurie Halverson, D-Eagan; and state auditor and gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Otto also spoke at the event. Other than a small interruption by a counter-protester, the rally unfolded without incident. No arrests were made.
Tax March events were also held in Washington, D.C., and at Mar-a-Lago, the South Florida luxury resort Trump owns.