When New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft visited the White House in September, he urged President Trump to focus on providing relief for middle-class Americans in his upcoming tax reform push rather than cutting taxes on the wealthy, Trump told supporters Wednesday at a campaign-style rally in Harrisburg, Pa.
Trump said several well-off friends of his have approached him and said, “‘Donald, you’re doing this tax plan and we don’t want anything. Give it to the people who need it.'”
Trump said his longtime friend Kraft was one of them.
“He owns the New England Patriots – good guy. Does very well,” the president said. “He was at the White House recently [and] he gave me a Super Bowl ring, I was very honored.”
“And as he’s leaving the White House, he says ‘Donald, I know very soon you’re going to be doing tax reform and tax cuts — give it to the middle class. Don’t give it to us,'” Trump recalled.
Trump’s latest tax reform pitch comes as Republicans face criticism for producing a framework that fails to guarantee a reduction in taxes for all lower-to-middle-income Americans. The president pointed to several measures that his administration has said would boost the amount of income middle-class families keep each year.
“We will substantially increase the child tax credit,” he said, citing one example. “We’re going to fight and we’re going to get those Republicans, and maybe a few Democrats, to raise their hands.”
Trump said the “typical American household” will enjoy a $4,000 pay raise if congressional Republicans succeed in passing his tax reform plan.
