U.S. President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Sunday morning to defend his decision to not call China out over alleged currency manipulation and to also address Saturday’s protests over not releasing his tax returns.
During the 2016 U.S. election campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to declare China a currency manipulator.
READ MORE: Donald Trump flexible or flip-flopping? Supporters concerned over shifting positions
On Friday, the U.S. Treasury released its semi-annual trade report, which failed to label China a currency manipulator as Trump had previously stated.
“Why would I call China a currency manipulator when they are working with us on the North Korean problem?” Trump asked Sunday.
Trump is the first U.S. president in over 40 years to not release his tax returns. Trump initially claimed he was under audit so he couldn’t release the returns but after the U.S. Treasury said that was not the case, the president then suggested voters don’t care.
WATCH: Protestors gather across the U.S. over Trump’s tax returns
On Saturday, thousands of protestors in a dozen U.S. cities took to the streets to protest Trump’s decision not to release his tax returns.
Trump wondered on Twitter why anyone would ask him to release his tax returns after he won the election.
He also questioned who organized the rallies and stated “The election is over!”
For four decades, presidents and major party nominees have released some of their tax returns, with the exception of Gerald Ford. Trump’s break with precedent has raised questions about possible conflicts of interest.
READ MORE: Protests across U.S. call on Donald Trump to release his tax returns
Protesters at a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, said they suspect that Trump’s returns might show he has paid little or nothing to the government he now heads, or that he was indebted to Russian, Chinese or other foreign interests.
“His reputation … as a businessman and, more importantly, as a true American, a person who is concerned with American values, would be totally destroyed if all his financial information was made public,” said Mike Mannshardt, a retired teacher.
— With files from Associated Press and Reuters
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