Donald Trump said he’d scrap taxes on tipped earnings for hospitality workers if he wins the White House

Donald Trump announced he would eliminate taxes on tipped earnings for hospitality workers if he wins the presidency, tailoring his message to appeal to swing-state voters in Nevada as he deals with the fallout from his felony conviction.

“We’re going to do that right away, first thing in office because it’s been a point of contention for years and you do a great job of service — you take care of people,” Trump said at a rally in Las Vegas on Sunday, his first public appearance since his conviction at his criminal trial in Manhattan.

Trump’s latest tax-cut promise is aimed at Nevada’s thriving service industry, which is predominantly made up of young workers and people of color, two groups he is courting as he approaches the Republican National Convention in mid-July.

The rally brought Trump to a key state that President Joe Biden won in 2020, but where Biden’s declining support among Black and Hispanic voters might give Trump an opportunity.

“For those hotel workers and people that get tips, you’re going to be very happy,” he told the crowd. “Because when I get to office, we are going to not charge taxes on people making tips.”

A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll in May showed Trump and Biden tied at 47% in Nevada. Trump led Biden 48% to 44% among voters in seven swing states, including Nevada, which are expected to be pivotal in the election outcome.

The Culinary Union, representing hospitality workers, criticized Trump’s pledge. While acknowledging the need for relief for tip earners, Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge said in a statement, “There’s a difference between real solutions and wild campaign promises from a convicted felon.”

The presumptive Republican nominee has intensified his campaign efforts after being tied up in court during the New York trial, holding a town hall in battleground Arizona on Thursday and doing televised interviews. This follows a period of fewer rallies to conserve funds depleted by legal expenses.

As a convicted felon running for president, Trump has plunged US politics into uncharted territory after a jury found him guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a hush-money payment to an adult film actress. He still faces three other criminal trials, but they are unlikely to occur before the general election in November.