President Trump made a rare visit to Las Vegas to tout his tip tax exemption policy and also made promising predictions about war with Iran.
President Trump criticizes Iran: ‘If there is no deal, fighting will resume’
President Trump has said talks with Iran could continue as early as this weekend, but warned that fighting would resume if a deal is not reached.
LAS VEGAS – President Donald Trump took a break from the glitz and glamor of the Strip on April 16 to tout his “no tax on tips” policy and insist that the U.S.-Israel war against Iran is “on track” and won’t last much longer.
“It should be over soon,” President Trump said.
The roundtable discussion and mini-gathering, held the day after the tax filing deadline, comes as delivery drivers, some of whom make a living from tips, face rising gas prices following the energy disruption that followed the outbreak of war. AAA estimates the national average for a gallon of gas is just over $4. In Nevada, the price is nearly $5 per gallon.
In a speech at the AC Hotel Las Vegas Symphony Park ballroom, the president said that sometimes his words can confuse the market. Referring to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Trump said: “When I talk, markets get a little nervous. I say, Scott, go out there and clean it up for me.”
He also called a recent incident in which a DoorDash driver delivered a McDonald’s to the White House “a little bit in bad taste.”
John Facey, a Trump supporter who attended the event, told USA TODAY that gas prices are a worthwhile “short-term sacrifice” to weaken Iran, but he doesn’t support prolonging the conflict that would result in higher gas prices.
“Beyond six months, I don’t know if I’m going to agree to that,” Facey said.
The president is underwater in one of the key battleground states that led to his return to the White House. According to the latest Morning Consult state poll, 51 percent of Nevadans disapprove of President Trump.
Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo of Nevada did not attend the Las Vegas panel discussion. But the state’s Republican lieutenant governor, Stavros Anthony, sat next to Trump.
The incident occurred in a state with one of the nation’s largest populations of tipped workers, according to a 2024 report from the Tax Policy Center. They estimated that more than 5% of Nevada’s workforce regularly works in tipped jobs, compared to the national average of about 2%.
The so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” tax changes will allow tipped workers to deduct up to $25,000 in tips and up to $12,500 in overtime pay ($25,000 if filing jointly). Both have a $150,000 income limit ($300,000 for joint filers), which will be repealed in 2028.
President Trump used his speech to attack the news media, calling them “the enemy.”
“They come from a dark place,” he said.
He also said that New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani’s introduction of a “pied-a-terre” tax in the president’s hometown “is displacing a lot of people and doing great harm to everyone.”
President Trump is scheduled to attend the Turning Point USA rally in Arizona on April 17th.
Contributors: Chad Murphy, Katie Landek, Margie Cullen – USA TODAY NETWORK
