Kathrine Frich
He painted a grim picture of families losing everything to the banks.
Campaign rallies are supposed to be easy wins.
A politician steps up to the microphone, attacks the other party, and fires up the crowd.
Sometimes, though, a wildly swung punch ends up hitting a friendly target standing right behind them.
Friendly fire in Ohio
According to HuffPost President Donald Trump traveled to Youngstown, Ohio, this week to boost local Republicans ahead of next month’s midterm elections.
During his speech, he blasted Democrats Amy Acton and former Senator Sherrod Brown over the federal estate tax, which is a levy paid on a rich person’s property before it passes to their heirs.
Targeting Acton’s run for governor and Brown’s Senate challenge against Republican incumbent Jon Husted, the president claimed Democrats want to revive a stricter version of the tax that Republicans weakened during his first term.
“I got rid of your inheritance [tax] for farmers and small businesses. And the Democrats want that back on,” Trump told the crowd.
He painted a grim picture of families losing everything to the banks. “You have to go out, pay a big tax, and many of these children go out, they want to keep their farm and they can’t. They lose it to the banks or whatever it might be. And many of them go out and commit suicide,” Trump continued.
What the book says
In reality, HuffPost notes that Republican rules exempted $30 million for married couples, meaning the tax only touches the richest 0.2% of households. Even more awkward for Trump, it is actually Acton’s Republican opponent who once championed the policy.
In his 2022 book “Nation of Victims,” billionaire and GOP governor hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy praised a “hefty” inheritance tax as “efficient and fair.” He even suggested a rate of 59% or higher to foster a “merit-based culture of excellence.”
“We shouldn’t allow people to become billionaires just by having rich parents,” Ramaswamy wrote.
Polls tighten up
HuffPost reported that Ramaswamy’s team did not respond to questions about whether he still backs the idea now that he is promising to cut taxes as governor.
Meanwhile, Acton spokesperson Addie Bullock told the outlet that the Democrat opposes bringing back Ohio’s repealed state inheritance tax.
“Unlike Dr. Acton’s opponent who would make it more difficult for farmers and force Ohio families to pay more in taxes to keep the family business going, Dr. Acton is committed to cutting taxes for Ohioans, including our farmers,” Bullock stated.
With less than a month until voting begins, HuffPost notes that recent polls give both Acton and Brown small leads in their respective Ohio races.
