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Trump’s tax hike proposal is ‘déjà vu’ of George H. W. Bush’s ‘read my lips’ moment, experts say
Americans lambasted President George H. W. Bush for infamously vowing on stage at the 1988 Republican National Convention not to raise taxes on Americans, then supporting a tax hike as president two years later.
History could repeat itself as President Donald Trump this week signaled his support for congressional Republicans raising taxes to accomplish the ambitious goals of his «big, beautiful bill,» according to experts.
«My opponent won’t rule out raising taxes, but I will. And the Congress will push me to raise taxes, and I’ll say no. And they’ll push and I’ll say no. And they’ll push again, and I’ll say to them: ‘Read my lips: no new taxes,’» then-Vice President Bush vowed at the 1988 convention, before raising taxes two years later with the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990.
While acknowledging the political backlash his fellow Republican faced, Trump signaled in a Truth Social post on Friday his own willingness to raise taxes on Americans, following reports confirmed by Fox News Digital that the president is considering raising the tax rate on individuals making $2.5 million or more by 2.6%, from 37% to 39.6%.
TRUMP CONSIDERS TAX HIKE ON AMERICANS MAKING $2.5 MILLION OR MORE PER YEAR
Political experts compared President Donald Trump, right, to President George H. W. Bush after Trump signaled his support for a small tax hike. (Pool/Getty Images)
«The problem with even a ‘TINY’ tax increase for the RICH, which I and all others would graciously accept in order to help the lower and middle income workers, is that the Radical Left Democrat Lunatics would go around screaming, ‘Read my lips,’ the fabled Quote by George Bush the Elder that is said to have cost him the Election. NO, Ross Perot cost him the Election! In any event, Republicans should probably not do it, but I’m OK if they do!!!» Trump said.
WHITE HOUSE QUIETLY FLOATS MILLIONAIRE TAX HIKE PROPOSAL IN CONGRESS AS GOP LEADERS SIGNAL OPPOSITION
Ross Perot, the late billionaire Texas businessman and philanthropist, ran an independent campaign as a third-party candidate in the 1992 presidential election, winning an historic 19% of the popular vote.
As Trump suggested, the political fallout of raising taxes contributed to Bush losing re-election to President Bill Clinton in 1992. Democrats slammed Bush in campaign ads for walking back his word as conservative Republicans criticized the president for being out of step with the party’s traditional tax policies.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich led Republican criticism of Bush’s tax hike proposal, and Gingrich has urged Trump to stand down on raising taxes since rumors the administration was floating a small tax hike first swirled.
TRUMP’S FIRST VICE PRESIDENT URGES HIS OLD BOSS AGAINST RAISING TAXES ON WEALTHY AMERICANS
Gingrich recently told Larry Kudlow on FOX Business that Trump is a Ronald Reagan Republican, not a Bush Republican, and raising taxes would be an «act of destruction.»
«It would absolutely shatter his coalition,» Gingrich said. «It would mean the entire conservative movement would rise in rebellion, and it would mean every small business in the country would start recalculating who they are going to lay off, if they are even going to stay in business. It would make no sense at all.»
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is leading ongoing budget negotiations for Trump’s «big, beautiful bill.» (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Negotiations are ongoing among House Republicans to finalize Trump’s «big, beautiful bill,» which is expected to include an extension of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and fulfill campaign promises, including no tax on tips, overtime or Social Security.
Republican politicians and pundits have joined Gingrich’s critique of Trump’s potential tax hike, arguing Trump is repeating the same mistakes as Bush.
«[House] Speaker [Mike] Johnson and Republican members of Congress must have experienced collective déjà vu when President Trump urged Congress to raise taxes,» New England College President Wayne Lesperance, a veteran political scientist and political historian, told Fox News Digital.
«Harkening back to the infamous ‘Read my lips’ pledge made by George H. W. Bush at the 1988 GOP Convention, today’s Republicans must be nervous at the president’s change on what is a sacrosanct issue for the party — tax cuts. Interestingly, George H. W. Bush’s decision to break his pledge was surrounded by notably different circumstances,» Lesperance added.
In this Feb. 11, 1991, file photo, President George H. W. Bush talks to reporters in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., after meeting with top military advisors to discuss the Persian Gulf War. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)
But Lesperance reminded Republicans, who currently control the House and Senate, that Democrats could gain an edge in the 2026 midterms if tax hikes prove to be as unpopular among Republicans as they were in 1992.
«Facing a Democratically controlled Congress, Bush reneged on his pledge as a compromise to reduce the deficit and pass the 1990 budget agreement. Bush’s decision to compromise on taxes is widely credited with costing him his bid for re-election. As Speaker Johnson and Republican members of Congress look ahead to midterm elections, there must be collective worry that President Trump’s shifting position on taxes will cost them at the polls,» Lesperance said.
Longtime Republican consultant David Carney, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns, said the move by Bush «was probably the single most detrimental thing to his re-election.»
Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York on Oct. 27, 2024. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)
Carney, who served in the elder Bush’s White House and worked on his presidential campaigns, told Fox News «the deal he cut was excellent. He cut spending, balanced out the taxes.»
But Carney emphasized «all that’s inside baseball and the reality is it was a great opportunity for people from the right and the left to make hay out of it, and it was absolutely hurtful.»
However, fiscal conservatives remain optimistic that Trump won’t raise taxes, despite the president softening to the idea on social media on Friday morning.
«President Trump campaigned on not raising taxes, and we are confident that’s exactly what he’ll do,» Club for Growth President David McIntosh told Fox News Digital.
When reached for comment about the Bush comparison, the White House pointed to press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s comments during the White House briefing on Friday.
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«The president wants tax cuts, the largest tax cuts in history,» Leavitt said. «He wants to extend his historic tax cuts from 2017, and he wants to see all the other tax priorities,» including no tax on tips, overtime or Social Security.
«The president has said he himself personally would not mind paying a little bit more to help the poor and the middle class and the working class in this country. I think, frankly, that’s a very honorable position. But again, these negotiations are ongoing on Capitol Hill, and the president will weigh in when he feels necessary,» she added.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Politics,Donald Trump,Taxes,Remembering George H. W. Bush
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UK defense minister warns Putin of ‘serious consequences’ after covert underwater military operation
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U.K. Defense Minister John Healey warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of «serious consequences» Thursday after revealing a weeks-long military operation to deter Russian meddling in the North Sea.
«To President Putin I say we see you, we see your activity over our cables and our pipelines, and you should know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences,» he cautioned.
The defense minister detailed an operation involving a Royal Navy frigate, a Royal Air Force patrol plane and hundreds of personnel deployed to deter a trio of Russian submarines that were detected near underwater cables in Britain’s economic exclusionary zone.
RUSSIA, CHINA VETO UN RESOLUTION AIMED AT REOPENING STRAIT OF HORMUZ, HOURS BEFORE TRUMP DEADLINE
British Defense Secretary John Healey delivers a statement on recent U.K. operational activity at 9 Downing Street, in London, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (Yui Mok/Pool Photo via AP)
One of the submarines, Healey announced, was a nuclear-powered Akula-class submarine, while the other two were spy submarines from Russia’s Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research, also known as GUGI. Subs from this unit were directed specifically by Putin «to conduct hybrid warfare activities against the UK» and its allies, Healey said.
At least one of those allies, Norway, was involved in the deterrent operation, Healey revealed. Norway’s Defense Minister Tore O Sandvik confirmed the cooperation in a Thursday statement.
«Norway has participated in a coordinated military operation with our allies to send a clear message: covert activities in our waters will not be tolerated,» Sandvik wrote.
The submarines left U.K. waters after a protracted period of monitoring from the U.K. and Norway, and there is no evidence of damage to any underwater infrastructure, Healey said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.K.’s Defense Department for more information.
The Russian incursion marked the second time in less than six months that the U.K. detected Russian seacraft near its territorial waters. Healey announced a similar military operation in November after Russia deployed the spy ship Yantar to the North Sea in 2025.
TRUMP, STARMER AGREE STRAIT OF HORMUZ MUST REOPEN AS MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT ESCALATES
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting to discuss the situation in Dagestan hit by severe flood via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Healey also cited this year’s incident as an example of why the U.K. hasn’t sent troops to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway in the Persian Gulf key to global energy markets that Iran has choked off in recent weeks.
«I understand people questioning why all UK military assets and personnel have not been deployed to deal with it. But that is not in Britain’s national interest,» he said, later calling Russia «the primary threat to the UK and to NATO.»
President Donald Trump has criticized NATO allies and the organization itself for not acceding to requests to help open the Strait of Hormuz.
«NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN,» he wrote in a Thursday morning Truth Social post.
Russian personnel walk on the gangway to Russian Navy submarine RFS Petropavlosvsk-Kamchatskiy, which is currently on a port visit at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026 (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
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The U.K., while holding a planning meeting on how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after the Iran War is over, initially refused to let the U.S. use a British air base to launch military strikes against Iran.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer eventually allowed the U.S. to launch «defensive strikes» from Royal Air Force bases after Trump slammed him as «not Winston Churchill.»
nato, russia, united kingdom, vladimir putin
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Senate Dem accuses Trump of being ‘unfit for office,’ joins growing call to impeach, oust president
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Another Senate Democrat has called on President Donald Trump to be removed from office over the Iran war.
«I certainly think the president should be removed,» Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said. «I mean, he’s unfit for office. I think, the 25th Amendment, and if not, then impeachment.»
Congressional Democrats, particularly in the House, recently have escalated their position against Trump’s war in Iran, shifting from pushing for Congress to reassert its authority in declaring war to demanding that the president be ousted from office.
ROGUE DEM BUCKS PARTY ON TRUMP WAR POWERS, CALLS IRAN ‘47-YEAR-OLD WAR CRIME’
Another Senate Democrat has called on President Donald Trump to be removed from office over the Iran war. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Trump’s comments in the past few days, particularly his threat against Iran that a «whole civilization will die» unless the Strait of Hormuz was reopened, sparked the latest growing push to see him removed from office.
While there is growing sentiment among House Democrats to jettison Trump from office, it’s not as widespread in the Senate. Still, Kim on Thursday joined a small group of Senate Democrats echoing the desires of their counterparts in the House.
So far, Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., all either have demanded that Trump be impeached or removed through the 25th Amendment.
SCHUMER BLASTS TRUMP’S IRAN WAR AS FAILURE, MOVES TO REIN IN HIS WAR POWERS AMID CEASEFIRE
Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., wants President Donald Trump removed from office either through impeachment or the 25th amendment over his comments and actions in Iran. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has stopped short of calling for impeachment, but instead is teeing up another war powers resolution — the fourth since the war began in February — to rein in Trump’s war authorities in the region as a fragile two-week ceasefire continues.
But their calls for removal likely aren’t going to go anywhere now, given the political reality in Washington, D.C. Republicans control both chambers of Congress, meaning impeachment is all but a moot point.
And invoking the 25th Amendment, which has never been used to remove a sitting president, is even more unlikely, given that it would require Vice President JD Vance, a majority of Trump’s Cabinet, and then a two-thirds majority vote in Congress to remove him.
TOP GOP HAWK GRAHAM WARNS IRAN DEAL HAS ‘TROUBLING ASPECTS’ AS CEASEFIRE BEGINS
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., railed against Senate Democrats, and accused them of trying to rip apart DHS. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu)
It’s also a desire that Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., contended was «not realistic right now, given his oddball Cabinet of sycophants and eccentrics,» earlier this week.
«We’re going to have to buckle down and win this the old-fashioned way,» Whitehouse said.
Democrats’ position does provide foreshadowing for what could happen if they win big in the midterm elections this fall, however.
Meanwhile, congressional Republicans are still backing Trump’s actions in Iran, despite some straying from the party line over his recent apocalyptic comments.
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Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said that «Iran has been at war with the United States for 47 years, and it’s time for Iran to choose peace.»
«They haven’t done it yet,» Barrasso said. «What we have seen is American peace through strength, and with this operation that is going on now, incredible success by the United States. We have done what we have talked about doing. Eliminate their missiles and eliminate their missile production and eliminate their missile firing capacity, undermine their ability to ever get a nuclear weapon, and sink the navy.»
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment and has not yet received a reply.
politics, donald trump, congress, senate, war with iran, democrats senate
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Israel cede a la presión y acepta negociar con Líbano, pero persiste la incertidumbre sobre la tregua en Irán
Bajo fuerte presión europea y apurado por la Casa Blanca que necesita poner fin a la guerra con Irán, Israel aceptó negociar un alto el fuego con Líbano. Así, abrió un resquicio para apuntalar la frágil tregua en la región y permitir el inicio formal de las conversaciones entre Washington y Teherán en Pakistán previstas para este sábado.
“Ante los reiterados llamamientos de Líbano para iniciar negociaciones directas con Israel, instruí al Gabinete para que inicie las negociaciones lo antes posible”, dijo el premier Benjamin Netanyahu en un comunicado oficial, sin mencionar las presiones de la Unión Europea o del propio Donald Trump.
Sin embargo, advirtió: “No hay un alto el fuego en Líbano». Y remarcó que Israel continúa “atacando a (el grupo chiíta libanés proiraní) Hezbollah con fuerza y no cesará hasta restablecer la seguridad en el territorio israelí”.
La incertidumbre sigue latente. Un funcionario israelí citado por The Times of Israel dijo que las conversaciones comenzarían “en los próximos días”. El sitio estadounidense Axios reveló que la primera reunión se celebrará la próxima semana en la sede del Departamento de Estado, en Washington. Faltan al menos cuatro días.
Si Israel sigue con su ofensiva sobre territorio libanés, la región quedaría expuesta a un recrudecimiento del conflicto. De hecho, dos días después del anunciado acuerdo entre Estados Unidos e Irán, persiste una enorme incertidumbre sobre la apertura del estrecho de Ormuz, por donde pasaba el 20% del petróleo mundial.
Si Israel continúa bombardeando Líbano, el acuerdo podría caer por decisión de Irán. Pero si Teherán no abre el paso marítimo, el cese el fuego dejaría de existir por determinación de Trump. La llave para destrabar la situación está hoy en Líbano y en manos de Israel.
¿Es posible alcanzar acuerdos mínimos?
Irán y Estados Unidos miran hoy a Líbano. Allí se juega el futuro de la tregua de dos semanas pactada por ambos países el martes después de 40 días de una guerra con enormes consecuencias económicas y comerciales en todo el mundo.
Si la presión sobre Israel da resultado, entonces quedará allanada la realización de la cumbre iraní-estadounidense para este sábado en Islamabad, la capital paquistaní. Hacia allí viajará el vicepresidente estadounidense, J.D. Vance, una “paloma” contraria desde el principio a la guerra dentro de los “halcones” que rodean a Trump.
El vicepresidente de Estados Unidos, JD Vance, habla con los medios de comunicación antes de subir al Air Force Two en Hungría el 8 de abril de 2026. (Foto: Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS)
El hecho de que el presidente republicano haya elegido a su vice para representarlo es toda una declaración de principios. Trump quiere terminar el conflicto a pocos meses de las elecciones intermedias de noviembre y mitigar el daño interno por el alza del precio de los combustibles y distintos insumos.
Leé también: Los peajes en el estrecho de Ormuz desafían el derecho internacional
Pero ya podría ser tarde. Una fuente cercana a la Casa Blanca resumió al sitio estadounidense Político: “Esta guerra en Irán casi consolida el hecho de que perderemos las elecciones intermedias en noviembre: el Senado y la Cámara de Representantes”.
Trump no tiene tiempo. Los ayatollah todo lo contrario. Si el presidente republicano pierde el control del Congreso quedará fuertemente condicionado el segundo tramo de su mandato.
Entendimientos mínimos: sanciones y estrecho de Ormuz
Así, de cara a la cumbre del sábado, se buscará al menos llegar a entendimientos mínimos que alejen el riesgo de un recrudecimiento del conflicto, más allá de las habituales declaraciones amenazantes y grandilocuentes de Trump.
Ali Vaez, experto en temas iraníes del Crisis Group, una ONG encargada de la resolución de conflictos, dijo a TN que “en momentos de alta tensión suele ser más fácil para las partes explorar acuerdos transaccionales limitados que intentar un retorno inmediato a un acuerdo integral”.
“Así que, en principio, los acuerdos menores centrados en la desescalada -incluída la libertad de navegación en el Estrecho de Ormuz y algún tipo de alivio de las sanciones- son más plausibles a corto plazo que un acuerdo amplio que intente resolver todos los asuntos pendientes de una sola vez», indicó. El cierre del estrecho de Ormuz causó una grave crisis internacional (Foto de archivo: Reuters)
Además, afirmó: “El principal obstáculo no es técnico, sino político. Ambas partes pueden ver valor en medidas provisionales, pero también les preocupará que las concesiones parciales puedan reducir su margen de maniobra para una negociación posterior más amplia».
El analista Mehran Kamrava, profesor de ciencias políticas de la Universidad de Georgetown, en Qatar, dijo a TN que, a largo plazo, ambos países necesitan un alto el fuego duradero.
“Cada uno por una razón diferente: la administración Trump por cuestiones de legado histórico, y el gobierno iraní porque necesita el alivio de las sanciones. Ambas partes abordarán todos los temas pendientes, incluido el control del estrecho de Ormuz, que Irán considera una ventaja importante, así como las sanciones impuestas y lideradas por Estados Unidos”, afirmó.
Leé también: Los peajes en el estrecho de Ormuz desafían el derecho internacional
Robert Malley, exenviado especial a Irán del expresidente Joe Biden, dijo que la enorme brecha existente entre las exigencias de ambas partes hace que sea “improbable llegar rápidamente un acuerdo integral, especialmente en tan poco tiempo”.
“Consideró más plausible que ambas partes alcancen acuerdos limitados que eludan los asuntos más difíciles, incluido el futuro del programa nuclear iraní y sus reservas de casi 450 kilogramos de uranio altamente enriquecido”, enfatizó.
Por eso, afirmó: “Es difícil imaginar un acuerdo integral dadas las diferencias y las visiones divergentes de ambas partes. Se puede imaginar una serie de acuerdos menores que incluyan el estrecho de Ormuz y cierto alivio de las sanciones”.
Irán, Donald Trump, Líbano, Israel
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