Donald Trump is proposing a significant tax break for U.S. citizens living abroad, positioning the plan as a way to attract votes from the millions of Americans who could benefit.
The former president and current Republican candidate made this commitment in a video shared by Solomon Yue, CEO of Republicans Overseas. Trump was expected to highlight the proposal during his appearance at the Economic Club of Detroit on Thursday.
This initiative adds to a series of tax cuts Trump has proposed for specific voter groups. He has already pitched tax exemptions for tip income, overtime pay, and Social Security benefits.
While these earlier proposals are largely aimed at working- and middle-class voters, Trump’s broader tax plan—restoring his 2017 tax reform and cutting the corporate tax rate from 21% to 15%—remains skewed toward businesses and wealthier Americans.
Trump’s latest promise addresses the issue of Americans living abroad who often have to pay taxes both in their country of residence and to the U.S. government. The U.S. has tax treaties with some nations that reduce this burden in certain cases, but Trump's plan aims to eliminate double taxation altogether.
His campaign has not yet provided detailed specifics of the proposal.
“You have to make sure that you are registered and ready to vote because I’m going to take very good care of you,” Trump said in the video posted by Yue on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). “I’m going to end double taxation on our overseas citizens once and for all. You’ve been asking for this for years, and no one has listened. You deserve it, and I’m going to make it happen.”
The proposed tax break could also benefit wealthy citizens by giving them more opportunities to live in low-tax countries and avoid U.S. taxes.
Yue applauded Trump’s pledge, saying, “Republicans Overseas has been advocating for the rights of Americans abroad for the past decade. We’ve spoken to many politicians, and while they’ve often expressed sympathy for the issue of double taxation, very few have been willing to take action.”
Trump’s appeal to U.S. citizens living abroad follows comments in which he grouped these voters with his unfounded claims that Democrats are planning widespread election fraud in 2024.
“The Democrats are talking about how hard they’re working to get millions of votes from Americans living overseas,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sept. 23. “In reality, they’re preparing to CHEAT!”
He suggested that efforts to make it easier for overseas citizens to vote would “dilute” the votes of military service members, who he believes will support him over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
