Twitter Explodes Waiting for Rachel Maddow to Expose Donald Trumps Tax Returns Only to Be Let Down
Rachel Maddow’s surprise announcement Tuesday night that she would be broadcasting portions of President Donald Trumps tax returns created a frenzy on social media.
But by the time The Rachel Maddow Show aired, reaction was mixed. Many liberals were disappointed that Maddow only had two pages of the billionaire businessman’s taxes from 2005 and no bombshell.
Conservatives including the president’s son Donald Trump Jr. crowed that the documents showed Trump paid $38 million on $150 million in revenue, seemingly refuting claims that he dodged taxes.
Kal Penn got bored and changed the channel to Real Housewives of Beverley Hills.
Maddow teased on Twitter that she would expose the new information nearly an hour and a half before The Rachel Maddow Show aired. She later clarified that she was in possession of the commander-in-chief’s 2005 federal income tax return which the Wall Street Journal had already reported on one year ago.
Viewers including many celebrities eagerly tuned in only to be aggravated by Maddow taking her time in revealing the contents of the tax return and learn that her findings weren’t as explosive as many were expecting it to be.
After a lengthy monologue and a commercial break, Maddow finally shared the details of her findings.
BREAKING: We've got Trump tax returns. Tonight, 9pm ET. MSNBC.
(Seriously).— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) March 14, 2017
What we've got is from 2005... the President's 1040 form... details to come tonight 9PM ET, MSNBC.
— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) March 15, 2017
Trump heralded the report as “FAKE NEWS!” on Twitter, questioning how Maddow obtained the tax return. Meanwhile, the president’s son Donald Trump, Jr. thanked the MSNBC commentator for proving that his father did pay taxes.
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“I don’t know much, but if I recall correctly $38,000,000 is a lot more than $0 right???” the younger Trump tweeted, adding the hashtag #ThankYouMaddow.
Does anybody really believe that a reporter, who nobody ever heard of, "went to his mailbox" and found my tax returns? @NBCNews FAKE NEWS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 15, 2017
Thank you Rachel Maddow for proving to your #Trump hating followers how successful @realDonaldTrump is & that he paid $40mm in taxes! #Taxes
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 15, 2017
I don't know much, but if I recall correctly $38,000,000 is a lot more than $0... right??? #thankyoumaddow https://t.co/mTdSkOV0xH
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 15, 2017
BREAKING NEWS: 12 years ago @realDonaldTrump made a lot of money and paid a lot in taxes #scandal #thankyouMaddow
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 15, 2017
“Thank you Rachel Maddow for proving to your #Trump hating followers how successful @realDonaldTrump is & that he paid $40mm in taxes!” he added.
The twitterverse reacted in the best way it knew how: by making jokes about the emotional rollercoaster Maddow put the nation through.
Many user ripped the Maddow for what they saw as a big let-down.
“This feels like a whole lot of hedging,” comedian Kumail Nanjiani tweeted. “I think M. Night Shyamalan is about to show up.”
Kal Penn, who served in the Obama White House and a star on Designated Survivor, simply got bored of waiting and turned his attention to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills instead. (Meghan McCain agreed, writing on Twitter, “I can’t believe I missed a new episode of #RHOBH and @erikajayne for this s.”)
This feels like a whole lot of hedging. #RachelMaddow
— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) March 15, 2017
I think M. Night Shyamalan is about to show up. #maddow
— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) March 15, 2017
I got bored w the tax return things and have been watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills the last 20 mins and I like it
— Kal Penn (@kalpenn) March 15, 2017
Do they always greet each other by saying, "hey, hoes!"????? That's so crazy! pic.twitter.com/EqiHYkkc08
— Kal Penn (@kalpenn) March 15, 2017
dammit. 2 pages!? give me the pee video. #teampeevideo
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) March 15, 2017
I turned off the Rachel Maddow report thirty minutes in. Somebody let me know if the patriots turn this thing around after halftime.
— Josh Gondelman (@joshgondelman) March 15, 2017
NEVER BEEN THIS HYPE TO SEE A TAX RETURN WOooOooo @MADDOW
— Eddie Huang (@MrEddieHuang) March 15, 2017
I wish this guy would spend less time finding Trump's tax returns and more time finishing Game of Thrones.
— Nick Turner (@NicksTurners) March 15, 2017
Rachel Maddow announces she will release Donald Trump’s tax returns as a 10-episode Netflix series.
— Sam Adams (@SamuelAAdams) March 15, 2017
More than a million people have signed a petition demanding that Rachel Maddow release Trump's tax returns
— Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) March 15, 2017
Why won't Rachel Maddow release Donald Trump's tax returns? What's she hiding?
— T.J. Quinn (@TJQuinnESPN) March 15, 2017
BREAKING: Rachel Maddow releases #TrumpTaxReturns pic.twitter.com/mdmqN80DPt
— Mark Dice (@MarkDice) March 15, 2017
The media when Maddow tweeted that she was going to release Trump's tax returns tonight only to clarify it's just his 1040 from 2005. pic.twitter.com/qLdSGa5LWz
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) March 15, 2017
Some compared the enormous buildup and subsequent letdown to Geraldo Rivera’s 1986 much-hyped live-TV broadcast in which he opened a never-before-seen vault at a hotel owned by Al Capone. The vault turned out to be basically empty, containing only dirt and some empty bottles.
“Rachel Maddow just had her Geraldo moment,” wrote radio host Bill Mitchell.
Rachel Maddow just had her Geraldo moment.
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) March 15, 2017
It's not a good sign when you tease a big #TrumpTaxReturns reveal & Geraldo Rivera & Al Capone are both trending as you provide basically 0.
— John Ziegler (@Zigmanfreud) March 15, 2017
"Great work Maddow!" - Geraldo pic.twitter.com/Hy2nmrnh2I
— Mike Cernovich (@Cernovich) March 15, 2017
Despite the critics, many defended Maddow for providing an informative guide as to why the release of Trump’s tax returns are so important.
The public's outrage over Trump's taxes remaining hidden must now be directed at the GOP which is helping them stay hidden. #WhatIsHeHiding
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) March 15, 2017
.@Maddow always gives deep context on her way into a story. It's called "journalism", people.
— Wil Wheaton (@wilw) March 15, 2017
RACHEL MADDOW: [uses our desperation for a silver bullet to educate her audience and give important context]
TWITTER: burn the witch!— Dana Schwartz (@DanaSchwartzzz) March 15, 2017
For people who don't get it: Trumps reported income for 2005 shows he has been lying about his net worth for years.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) March 15, 2017
Agree tonight was overhyped but @maddow is brilliant & digs into Trump's corruption every night from every angle in a way few on TV do.
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) March 15, 2017
Trump won cause while an intelligent woman was trying to tell us about Russian ties u complained about her presentation & here we are again
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) March 15, 2017
Maddow knows more than you do times 10 so sit down and listen for a change SMDH
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) March 15, 2017
Comedian Billy Eichner backed Maddow, writing, “Trump won cause while an intelligent woman was trying to tell us about Russian ties u complained about her presentation & here we are again.”