By Grace Da Rocha
Las Vegas Sun
(TNS)
April 16 — President Donald Trump boasted Thursday that Nevada waiters, casino dealers, bartenders and other tipped workers had received “the biggest tax refunds of their entire lives,” claiming average returns topped $4,000.
He made the remarks at a downtown Las Vegas roundtable, using the appearance to tout his No Tax on Tips policy in an appeal aimed at shoring up support ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accompanied Trump and echoed that message, saying, “We’re celebrating how much more money hardworking Americans will receive, not how much government will take.”
Bessent said more than 53 million filers have claimed at least one of the various new tax cuts contained in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in July, with over 6 million benefiting from No Tax on Tips and averaging a deduction of $7,100. According to the IRS, the average refund for individual filers as of April 3 was $3,462, up from $3,116 a year ago.
The No Tax on Tips policy offers a temporary deduction of up to $25,000 in tips for eligible workers annually, but tipped workers still need to report their tips and income. Its reach may also be more limited than the administration suggests: Only about 2% of all households—or 60% of households with tipped workers—would receive a tax cut, because many tipped employees already pay little to no federal income tax, according to the Tax Policy Center.
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Trump also boasted about the broader economy—still blaming President Joe Biden for “four long years of brutal inflation”—even as inflation is again squeezing Americans, this time driven by his own tariff policies and the war in Iran.
The U.S. inflation rate tripled last month to 0.9%, pushing the annual rate to 3.3% in March, up from 2.4% in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consumer sentiment, meanwhile, plummeted to its lowest level on record—47.6 this month. That’s down 11% from March and the lowest level since the University of Michigan launched its Index of Consumer Sentiment in 1952.
The war in Iran, Trump told the crowd to wide applause, “is going along swimmingly,” even as U.S. and Iranian officials have yet to agree on a ceasefire.
He lauded “the most powerful military in the world,” credited himself for building it and predicted the conflict would end soon.
“We had the best economy in the history of our country my first year, and we’re blowing it out now … despite our little diversion to the lovely country of Iran,” Trump said. “We’ve set out and I think you’re going to see some incredible results. The job we’ve done has been amazing.”
While the partisan crowd at the AC Hotel Las Vegas Symphony Park was receptive to Trump’s message, others were not.
Nevada’s Democratic leadership criticized the president’s policies, which they say have squeezed paychecks through higher costs of groceries, gas and even building materials.
U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., called Trump’s visit a “desperate attempt to convince Nevadans he’s trying to lower costs,” saying the “No. 1 concern” she hears from constituents is how expensive everything—from gas and groceries to health care—has gotten.
Gas prices Thursday sat at an average of $5 a gallon in Clark County, according to AAA, compared to $3.92 a gallon a year ago. Much of the increase is due to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran.
Trump’s tariffs have cost Nevada households an average of $941 through price hikes on groceries like coffee, vegetables and ground beef, according to a report by congressional Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee.
Las Vegas tourism has also declined, falling 7.5% in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
Tipped workers in Nevada already earn the full state minimum wage of $12 an hour before tips, the Democrats say, so the issue isn’t just how tips are taxed, but also whether these wages are enough to live on after gas, rent and groceries. Fuel costs can quickly eat into earnings for taxi drivers and gig workers, making a tax deduction less of a solution and more of a narrow benefit—if at all.
“So, if Trump intends to tout policies like No Tax on Tips, hospitality workers in Nevada are left wondering, ‘What difference does it make that I’m not getting taxed on tips when I’m getting less in tips than before?'” Rosen said. “Trump has wreaked havoc on our economy, and he can’t overlook the totality of the situation and how it is hurting our families in Nevada. What the president needs to do is outline for Nevadans his concrete plans to finally bring down costs and support our tourism industry.”
U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., slammed Trump for visiting his district to tout the No Tax on Tips policy, calling it “out of touch with reality with what people are actually going through.”
Trump was also greeted Thursday afternoon by protesters gathered near the Clark County Government Center in “opposition to harmful economic policies, including tariffs, the war on Iran, and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” according to organizers Battle Born Progress and Indivisible Las Vegas.
Just before lunch Thursday, the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 detailed during a news conference the effects of the ” Trump Slump”—the low tourism numbers due to trade and immigration policies that union leaders said have resulted in less work hours and less tips for Culinary’s members.
Joe Spica, a union bellman with Culinary, said 2025 was “the worst year” he’s ever had working on the Strip and that many necessities—from groceries to his gas bill—have gone up since Trump retook the White House.
Spica explained that international guest visitation has dropped, and even Americans who visit aren’t spending as much money or tipping like before.
Because of the drop in visitors, “many of our workers have been laid off,” including some of Spica’s friends, who he said had decades of experience.
Union leaders also pointed out the effects of immigration enforcement, which has intensified since Trump took office last year, and tax policies that they believe are flawed.
“We all know that Donald Trump’s policies have impacted Las Vegas’ local economy, and workers are feeling it,” said Diana Valles, the union’s president. “Las Vegas is an independent economy, and we need policies that welcome visitors. We need a policy that strengthens our state, but we’re in a crisis right now. We’re in a crisis right now because our members in our community they’re experiencing big, big financial problems.”
Trump is spending the night at his Trump International Hotel and on Friday morning will leave Las Vegas for Phoenix, where he’ll hold an event with conservative political group Turning Point USA. Arizona, like Nevada, is a crucial swing state and the November election is quickly approaching.
“Every single American at every income level has more money in their pockets this week because of the Republican tax policies,” Trump said. “And we got to win the midterms. If we don’t, these policies are going to be taken away from you.”
Photo caption: President Donald Trump speaks during a downtown Las Vegas roundtable on April 16, 2026, using the appearance to tout his No Tax on Tips policy in an appeal aimed at shoring up support ahead of this year’s midterm elections. (Via White House YouTube channel)
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© 2026 the Las Vegas Sun (Las Vegas, Nev.). Visit www.lasvegassun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
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