‘Unbelievable’: Trump Decides He’s the One Who Deserves Reparations for Everything He’s Been Through, Then Doubles Down with One Bombshell Claim
President Donald Trump is once again claiming the U.S. government owes him money, reviving questions about whether he’ll continue pursuing a taxpayer-funded payout even as his acting attorney general says the proposal has been ruled out.
On Monday, the president boldly stated that he has “a very good case” for compensation over what he described as years of unfair treatment, going as far as to invoke the term “reparations” while again defending a controversial settlement tied to his lawsuit against the IRS.
The remarks came as Trump sought to defend his administration’s handling of a now-abandoned $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and renewed claims that he was improperly targeted by the IRS after entering politics.
His comments immediately drew criticism from reparations advocates, who argued the comparison diminishes the decades-long movement seeking compensation for descendants of enslaved Black Americans, while also reigniting scrutiny over a tax settlement that continues to shield Trump and his family business from IRS audits.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump argued that an IRS dispute over his taxes had been resolved before he launched his 2016 presidential campaign but said the government reversed course after he announced his candidacy.
“First of all, I had a 10-year case that was settled until I announced I was running for office. It was a settled deal, like I’ve been doing all my life. I’ve been audited every year for my entire life, which I have a lot of wealthy friends. They were never audited to this day,” Trump said.
“They were never audited. I was audited, and my deal was settled in writing. It was settled, subject to final approval. Then I announced I was running for president, and all they did was haunt me with it. They ended the settlement and they went after it, and they went after me illegally. And they did a lot of bad things to me, like they did to other people. And I was treated very unfairly by the IRS. I was — it was weaponized against me.”
He then suggested he deserved compensation.
“And what they did here was very, I frankly, uh, if you talk about reparations or if you talk about payment, what they did to me, I had a very good case against them,” Trump claimed.
Trump’s comments came one day after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche formally withdrew plans for a proposed $1.8 billion fund that would have compensated individuals whom the administration said had been unfairly targeted by the federal government.
The proposal had drawn bipartisan criticism, with opponents arguing it could have benefited people convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol whom Trump later pardoned.
Blanche rescinded the fund in a letter to Republican senators whose support he needs for confirmation as attorney general, according to The Associated Press.
However, a separate provision negotiated as part of Trump’s settlement with the IRS remains in place, preserving retroactive audit protections for Trump, his sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., and the Trump Organization.
The settlement stems from Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, which accused the agency of failing to safeguard his confidential tax information after an IRS contractor leaked tax return data affecting more than 400,000 taxpayers. Trump and his family sought roughly $10 billion in damages.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ruled that the lawsuit had been filed for an “improper purpose.” While she did not invalidate the settlement, she said the government could not characterize the agreement as the product of a legitimate legal process. Trump has appealed that ruling.
Legal experts and lawmakers from both parties have questioned whether the audit protections are lawful, citing a post-Watergate statute intended to prevent presidents from influencing IRS investigations.
Asked about Blanche’s agreement with Senate Republicans, Trump insisted he had little involvement in the negotiations.
“I didn’t look at it. All I know is that Todd Blanche is great. Uh, he’s going to do a great job,” Trump said. “Everybody knows it. And I understand there’s been a sign off, but I didn’t — I don’t know what they agreed. I think Todd Blanche agreed to reconfirm things that he’s already said.”
Trump continued to praise the proposed compensation fund, saying he still supports the concept because it would benefit people he believes were unfairly targeted by previous administrations.
“It’s for…people that have been treated unfairly, that have been weaponized by a corrupt government, that we had with Obama, that we had with Biden. You had a corrupt government with both of them,” Trump said.
His remarks about reparations quickly generated backlash online.
One social media user wrote, “Ask him about reparations for former slaves. Ask him.”
Another posted, “Yes, Trump was treated as badly, or worse than… checks notes …slaves in America.” One more simply said, “Unbelievable.”
Another user added, “The billions he’s made this term isn’t enough to fill that gaping hole of narcissistic need??”
Dan Greenberg of the Cato Institute called the immunity deal “the product of an illegal settlement,” adding, “The good news is that Todd Blanche confirmed in writing that the anti-weaponization slush fund is dead. The bad news is that tax immunity for the president, his sons, and his family business is still alive.”