LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Donald Trump came to Las Vegas on Saturday to crow about his campaign promise to eliminate taxes on tips, signaling to allies in Congress the importance of the policy but stopping well short of offering details for making the slogan a reality.
Instead, Trump spent most of his 40 minutes speaking to roughly 1,000 supporters in a casino ballroom lauding his November election victory, mocking former President Joe Biden's administration and touting his torrent of executive actions since taking office Monday.
“But I have to be honest with you, I'm really here for a different reason, I'm here to say thank you," Trump told the crowd at Circa Resort & Casino.
The victory lap, Trump's first swing-state rally since taking office, came after he won Nevada's six electoral votes in November, becoming the first Republican since George W. Bush in 2004 to carry the state. It was part of Trump's sweep of all seven of the most competitive states that gave him a healthy electoral majority and a second, non-consecutive term.
Aides said Trump's stop in Nevada was to deliver an "economic-focused message" built around his familiar promise to hospitality industry workers to remove the tax on gratuity income.
“We're going to get it for you — ‘no tax on tips,’” Trump said, standing behind a podium emblazoned with the same slogan he used throughout the 2024 campaign.
After the rally, Trump strode through the Circa casino floor past its purple-hewed velvet tables, to cheers from visitors of “USA, USA.” At a roulette table, a player yelled, “Give me $47 on 47,” for Trump, now the 47th president. “Ohh,” Trump lamented at the losing throw but he signed autographs as supporters hooted.
If light on detail, Trump's comments on tips were a signal to Republicans in Congress that the proposal is a priority for the massive tax package they intend to pass this year. Trump is set to meet House Republicans on Monday as they gather in Florida to chart the strategy ahead.
Speaker Mike Johnson, who is laboring to get the package moving forward, invited Trump to address a joint session of Congress on March 4, a tradition for new presidents, who don’t deliver a State of the Union address until their second year in office. Johnson said lawmakers working with Trump hope to make the next four years "some of the most consequential in our nation’s history.”
Nevada is a familiar backdrop to talk tips and taxation. As a candidate, Trump first announced the idea of ending gratuity taxes during a rally in June in Las Vegas — a proposal later copied by his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris.