The political perception of tax cuts is expected to be a key factor in the 2026 midterm elections, when President Trump’s fellow Republicans seek to secure a slim majority in Congress.
President Trump says DoorDash’s delivery to the Oval Office is ‘a little lame’
President Donald Trump said a recent DoorDash delivery to the Oval Office was in “a little bit of bad taste.”
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is hustling the country to deliver food to the White House and promote the tax cuts he pushed Congress to approve last year, but polls reflect apathy toward the cuts among voters who think taxes are still too high.
The battle over perceptions of the tax cuts is expected to play out in the 2026 midterm elections, when the party traditionally in charge of the White House loses seats in Congress. Even if Republicans lose just a few seats in the House or Senate, Democrats could regain the majority in the chamber.
“All Americans at every income level have more money in their pockets this week thanks to the Republican tax plan,” Trump said at a roundtable in Las Vegas on April 16. “We have to win the midterm elections, or these policies will be taken away from you. Your taxes will go through the roof.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said 53 million people, or 45% of all tax filers through April 12, claimed at least one of the four new tax cuts that Trump called “record refunds for Americans.”
But Bessent acknowledged polling shows that 70% of Americans still think taxes are too high. The complaints come despite new deductions for tips of up to $25,000 a year, overtime pay of up to $12,500, interest on auto loans on U.S.-made cars and expanded Social Security benefits.
The perception of tax cuts has been undermined by high inflation, including fuel prices.
“The cost of living, no joke, is going to take precedence over small changes to your tax return,” said David Damore, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Bessent outlines ‘record of refunds to Americans’
Bessent told reporters at the White House on April 15 that the average tax reduction from the four new tax cuts is $800 and the average total refund is more than $3,400.
About 30 million elderly filers claimed an average of $7,500 worth of enhanced deductions for Social Security benefits, Bessent said. He said about 25 million filers are deducting overtime pay by an average of $3,100 per person. He said about 6 million people deducted an average tip of $7,100. Additionally, more than 1 million filers claimed auto loan interest deductions, with an average amount of $1,800.
“This has been a great tax season,” Bessent said, “and the president has provided record tax refunds to Americans.”
He encouraged taxpayers to increase their tax withholdings to put more money in their pockets each week.
Poll shows Americans still feel overpaid in taxes
Despite the value of tax cuts, the public’s response has been lukewarm.
“People don’t want to pay taxes, but today we saw a survey showing that 70% of Americans still believe their taxes are too much. Today is a great day for Americans,” Bessent said on April 15.
A Fox News poll released April 7 found that 70% of registered voters questioned in late March believed they were paying too much in taxes, an 11-point increase from a year earlier. This was the largest year-over-year increase since this question was first asked in 2004.
A Gallup poll released April 10 and conducted in early March found that 59% of Americans feel they pay too much in taxes. Although this result was higher than the average of around 50% recorded in the early 2000s, it is still below the levels seen from the 1970s to the 1990s, when perceptions of “too expensive” routinely exceeded 60%.
A January Pew Research Center poll found that 60% of Americans, including 66% of Republicans, said they pay “more than their fair share” in taxes considering what they receive from the federal government. The overall figure is up from 56% in 2023 and about half in 2019 and 2021.
According to Real Clear Politics, which compiled multiple public opinion polls, the disapproval rate for the tax cut was nearly 5 percentage points, with polls in January and February showing nearly 41% supporting it and 46% opposing it.
President Trump promotes a “big, beautiful bill,” but House Republicans point to “tax cuts for working families.”
To promote his tax cuts, President Trump made a DoorDash delivery to the Oval Office on April 14th. Sharon Simmons, a delivery driver’s grandmother from Arkansas, said she saved $11,000 by not having to declare tips, which she called “very amazing.”
“Isn’t that amazing?” Trump said. “We call it the great, big, beautiful bill.”
President Trump took his message to the streets, telling a Las Vegas audience that the White House interaction was “a little bit in bad taste.”
“We do these things in politics,” Trump said. “It’s a little embarrassing.”
Las Vegas Police Officer Cruz Littlefield said during the roundtable that he benefits from not having to pay taxes on overtime. Nicole Williams, a longtime bartender on the Strip, said she appreciates the tip-free policy because the IRS closely monitors tips. Erika Casale, also a bartender and makeup artist, said it’s “awesome” that tips aren’t taxed.
House Republicans on April 16 approved a resolution reiterating support for the tax cuts, set for July 3, 2025, without Democratic support. The resolution called the tax cut bill the “Working Families Tax Cut,” rather than President Trump’s nickname.
“This is real money going back into the pockets of hard-working families, small business owners, and farmers,” Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, said during the April 15 debate. “Today’s numbers are historic. Iowans are experiencing an average tax cut of more than $3,000, making this the largest refund season in our nation’s history.”
Rep. Jason Smith (R-Missouri), chairman of the Ways and Means Committee that oversees taxes, cited everyday Americans who benefited from the tax cuts, including Mr. Simmons, a DoorDash driver from his state.
“Thanks to tax cuts for working families, Americans now have more money to buy school supplies and put food on the table,” Smith said.
Democrats say inflation and gas prices have ‘eaten up’ the benefits of tax cuts
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) said if the tax cut bill was popular, Republicans wouldn’t need to pass a resolution praising it by a different name.
“It’s insane,” McGovern said. “That’s strange.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) argued on April 16 that the tax measure, which would give large corporations $65 billion in tax cuts in one year, would benefit the wealthy.
But he said the gains of America’s working class are being “eaten away” by soaring prices for gasoline, food and electricity. He estimates it will cost an additional $740 to fill up his car with gas this year because of the war with Iran.
“If you’re a hotel staff member, a waiter, a janitor, or a DoorDash delivery driver, President Trump’s tax policies are far from undoing the economic damage he’s done to you and your family,” Schumer said.
Contributed by: Reuters
