Sen. Ron Johnson Backs Trump’s Pardons, Tax Cuts for Wealthy

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, defended Trump’s pardons of Jan. 6 rioters and advocated for permanent tax cuts benefiting the wealthy during a Politico breakfast event this week. Johnson, who played a key role in Trump’s 2017 tax overhaul, emphasized his commitment to simplifying the tax code and reducing corporate rates to zero.

Johnson, known for his unwavering support of Trump, described the Jan. 6 defendants as victims of a “grotesque miscarriage of justice.” While he acknowledged that the blanket pardons for rioters, including those convicted of violent crimes, were “maybe a little more sweeping than I wanted to see,” he ultimately endorsed Trump’s decision. “Trump was right to pardon them,” Johnson said.

The senator also reflected on his role in shaping the 2017 tax law, which disproportionately benefited the wealthy. Johnson secured a tax cut for “pass-through” corporations, a category that includes his own PACUR plastics firm. He later sold the company, reaping financial gains from the tax code changes he championed. “I made sure all the pass-throughs got a tax cut, that was my contribution,” Johnson said.

According to analyses by the Joint Committee on Taxation and the National Bureau of Economic Research, the top 1% of Americans received nearly 60% of the tax savings from the 2017 law, with the top 0.1% benefiting the most. Households in the bottom 60% saw an average tax cut of less than $500, compared to over $60,000 for the top 1%.

Johnson’s priorities for the next administration include making the 2017 tax cuts permanent, reducing government spending, and eliminating complexities in the tax code. “We have to return spending levels to some reasonable pre-pandemic levels,” he said. He also expressed support for Trump’s border wall and criticized efforts to expand social safety nets, stating, “Stop trying to socially and economically engineer through the tax system.”

Critics argue that Johnson’s policies favor the wealthy at the expense of working-class Americans. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities noted that the 2017 tax cuts failed to deliver promised economic benefits, with workers earning less than $114,000 annually seeing no significant wage increases. Meanwhile, executive salaries surged, and revenue as a share of GDP dropped from 19.5% during the Bush administration to 16.3% post-Trump tax cuts.

Despite these criticisms, Johnson remains a vocal advocate for Trump’s agenda, including efforts to unite working-class voters and tech billionaires like Elon Musk. He dismissed concerns about the growing wealth gap, framing his policies as a way to “keep it simple” and promote economic growth.