Former President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has accused his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, of being a “copycat” after she promised to eliminate federal taxes on tips for service workers this weekend.
The vice president and Democratic presidential nominee made the proposal, which mirrors one Trump put forward earlier this year, during a rally in Las Vegas on Saturday. “When I am president, we will continue our fight for working families in America, including raising the minimum wage and eliminating taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers,” Harris stated.
Trump swiftly responded to Harris’ proposal, accusing her of copying his policy. “Kamala Harris, whose ‘Honeymoon’ period is ENDING and is starting to get hammered in the Polls, just copied my NO TAXES ON TIPS Policy,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
“The difference is, she won’t follow through; she only wants it for Political Purposes! This was a TRUMP idea—She has no ideas, she just steals from me,” he added.
In another post, Trump accused the vice president of lacking creativity, claiming she played “COPYCAT” with the “NO TAXES ON TIPS!” idea.
Trump first introduced his policy proposal during a campaign stop in Las Vegas on June 9. “This is the first time I’m announcing this, and for those hotel workers and people who receive tips, you’re going to be very happy because when I get into office, we will stop taxing tips,” Trump told the rally attendees.
“We’re going to do that right away as soon as I take office because this issue has been a point of contention for years and years, and you do a great job of service.”
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., also echoed his father’s remarks, sharing a video of Harris’ announcement during the Saturday rally and posting on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Harris-Walz 2024: Stolen proposals and stolen valor!”
However, the idea of ending federal taxes on tips isn’t new and didn’t originate with Trump. In 2012, former Representative Ron Paul, a Republican who sought the party’s presidential nomination in 2008 and 2012, proposed his own plan to end federal taxation of tips. In an op-ed for the Las Vegas Sun, Paul called for a break for “a sector of American workers who are often overlooked by both sides during the never-ending debate on taxes.”
