December 30, 2025
From Bain to tax pain
Now That He Has No Power, Mitt Romney Says "Tax the Rich"
Internet roasts “late-to-the-party” Romney as he backs taxing the rich
TLDR: Mitt Romney is now publicly backing higher taxes on the wealthy after leaving office. Commenters are split between “too late” cynics, defenders citing the 1% tax burden, and system-level critics who say taxes alone won’t fix short-term-profit addiction—making Romney’s reversal a lightning rod for a bigger fight over fairness.
Mitt Romney just wrote a New York Times op-ed saying, yep, tax the rich — and the internet promptly set itself on fire. The loudest chorus? Cynics rolling their eyes at the timing. “They only grow a conscience after leaving office,” snaps one top comment, echoing the article’s “legacy-laundering” theme. To many, it’s Gordon Gekko meets Robin Hood — but only after the credits roll.
But the thread quickly splits. One camp counters with the classic stat that the top 1% already pay more than the bottom 90% in income taxes — cue a flurry of “the rich are already taxed” arguments. Another faction dives into 2012, with defenders saying Romney was a moderate who got smeared, reigniting old battles over who ruined whose reputation. It’s not just tax talk — it’s a rerun of the Romney years with fresh popcorn.
Then come the big-picture killjoys: even if you tax the wealthy, that won’t fix a market hooked on short-term profit and pension-fueled growth targets. Translation: a few higher brackets won’t detox Wall Street. The joke of the night? An alt headline: “After accumulating wealth and experience, Romney calls for higher taxes on the rich.” Better late than never — or just better PR?
Key Points
- •Mitt Romney published a New York Times op-ed advocating higher taxes on the rich.
- •Romney previously campaigned for tax cuts for the wealthy and co-founded Bain Capital, highlighting his shift.
- •The article argues many political figures reverse positions after leaving power, often without explicit apologies.
- •Examples cited include Barack Obama, James Carville, a Lincoln Project founder tied to Supreme Court appointments, and Dick Cheney.
- •John McCain is presented as a counterexample for enacting campaign finance reforms while in office, shaping his legacy through action.