President Donald Trump signed the historic $1.5 trillion tax overhaul into law Friday, using his last moments in the White House before flying to Florida for the holidays to celebrate his biggest political win.
He also signed a temporary spending bill to keep the government running and provide money to upgrade the nation’s missile defenses. The tax cut, which fulfilled a long-held Republican goal, was at the forefront of Trump’s mind.
Starting next year, the new law will give big cuts to American taxpayers and is expected to help create billions in economic growth. Trump continued to pitch the cuts as a win a for the middle class, insisting that even though polling indicates the tax cut is unpopular, once cash starts flowing back into taxpayer hands “the numbers will speak” for themselves.
“I don’t think we are going to have to do much selling,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
The tax cut is the largest since 1986, and the president calls it one of the largest in United States history.
Passage of the tax bill marked a significant victory for a president hungry for one after chaos and establishment insider sabotage during his first year in office — including an effort to repeal former President Barack Obama’s health care law — despite Republican control of Congress. Trump also ended the year with his sights still trained on the way the media treat him, tweeting that the mainstream media “NEVER talk about our accomplishments in the end of year reviews.”
“We are compiling a long @ beautiful list,” he tweeted.
Trump said that he originally planned to sign the tax bill early next year but moved it up as a Christmas present to all Americans. After finishing the bill signings, he was off to Mar-a-Lago in Florida, his plane leaving Joint Base Andrews in Maryland just before noon EST.
The first major overhaul of the nation’s tax laws since 1986 could add $1.5 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Republican leaders have said they’re willing to take that step in pursuit of a boost to the economy.
Trump, meanwhile, continued to send messages about his desire to work across the aisle. In the Oval Office, he contended anew that Democrats “don’t like tax cuts” … but he’s also called for greater bipartisanship in 2018: “At some point, and for the good of the country, I predict we will start working with the Democrats in a bipartisan fashion. Infrastructure would be a perfect place to start. … It is time to start rebuilding our country!”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.