Donald Trump tax records reveal bombshell hairdressing bill amid years of federal tax evasion

The revelations into Donald Trump's long-concealed tax records have exposed a number of surprising sums - one of which being the staggering amount the President has spent on his infamous crop of combed-over hair.

While avoiding paying federal tax for 10 out of 15 years - and just US$750 in tax in 2016 and 2017 respectively - Trump had written off thousands of dollars on hairstyling as a business expense.

Documents obtained by the New York Times reveal Trump claimed more than US$70,000 (NZ$106,128) in hairstyling expenses during his 12-year stint hosting The Apprentice - the series that catapulted the magnate to reality TV stardom - as a deduction on his income taxes.

The records also revealed that nine Trump entities have written off at least US$95,464 paid to a favourite hair stylist and makeup artist of his daughter, Ivanka Trump.

The bombshell has sparked a number of reactions from high-profile figures, with The Late Show host Stephen Colbert exclaiming: "He spent $70,000 on that? I can't believe I’m going to say this, but he should've paid more."

The Daily Show host Trevor Noah also chimed in on Twitter, tweeting: "Now it looks like two crimes have been committed here: one is Trump’s tax evasion, and two is whoever swindled Trump into paying $70,000 for what they did to him."

The Times' exhaustive investigation into Trump's secretive tax history also found a US$210,000 bill to hire a photographer to take pictures at the Mar-a-Lago Club, a lavish resort in Palm Beach, Florida, was written off as a business expense.

Roughly US$26 million in "consulting fees" were also charged as an expense between 2010 and 2018 - some of which appears to have been directed to a company co-owned by Ivanka.

In the 2018 presidential public annual financial disclosure, Trump declared his earnings to be US$434 million - but declared $47.4 million in losses to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for tax purposes over the same period.

The Times noted on average, Trump paid US$1.4 million in federal tax annually between 2000 and 2017 - yet an American with a similar declared income could be expected to pay $25 million.

Jimmy Fallon pats the President's infamous head of hair.
Jimmy Fallon pats the President's infamous head of hair. Photo credit: File

The President currently owes US$421 million in outstanding loans - the majority of which becomes due within four years. He continues to battle an ongoing audit with the IRS - an official financial inspection of his company accounts - following a US$72.9 million tax refund in 2010. Based on the results of the audit, Trump may face US$100 million in penalties.

"I think this is the most damaging thing about the revelations," University of Otago politics professor Robert Patman explained to The AM Show on Tuesday morning.

"It cuts across the narrative that Trump is a person who is independently successful, a self-made billionaire - in fact he's got $421 million owing in the next four years that's due to be paid."

Trump is currently campaigning for his second term as US President, the election date set for November 3. The Republican candidate is competing against Democratic nominee Joe Biden, who served as Vice President under Barack Obama's administration from 2009 to 2017.

Trump has denied the reports, waving off the investigation as "fake news".