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Tax returns of the U.S President Donald Trump have become a major hurdle ahead of 2020 elections. California has recently passed an exceptional requirement that Donald Trump to release his tax returns, or he will be ineligible for inclusion on the state’s primary ballot. The law was signed by the governor of California Gavin Newsom. It requires all presidential candidates to submit 5-years of income tax filings in order to be eligible for the primary ballot. The bill was originally passed in the state legislature on a party-line vote. Newsom said in a statement, “As one of the largest economies in the world and home to one in nine Americans eligible to vote, California has a special responsibility to require this information of presidential and gubernatorial candidates”.

Newsom added, “These are extraordinary times and states have a legal and moral duty to do everything in their power to ensure leaders seeking the highest offices meet minimal standards and to restore public confidence. The disclosure required by this bill will shed light on conflicts of interest, self-dealing, or influence from domestic and foreign business interests”. The passed bill marks the latest effort by Democrats across the country to force Trump to release his tax returns, including their efforts in the House of Representatives and in New York State. Those efforts have been crushed by Trump. He broke from modern-day campaigning tradition by rejecting to offer up his tax returns while running for president in 2016.

There are a number of questions swirled regarding why the president would decline to hand over those documents, even as he has claimed he is held back from making the disclosures due to tax audits. Republicans have said the effort in California as an unconstitutional approach by a party hell-bent on making life miserable for Trump. The communications director for Trump’s re-election campaign, Tim Murtaugh informed the Los Angeles Times, “The Constitution is clear on the qualifications for someone to serve as president and states cannot add additional requirements on their own”. Moreover, the State Republicans have also attacked the measure with state senate minority leader Shannon Grove.