Trump still won't release tax returns, insists public doesn't care

NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump once again dodged questions regarding his tax returns Wednesday and implied that since he won the election, they might never become public.

"The only ones that care about my tax returns are the reporters," Trump said during his first press conference in nearly six months.

When asked if he believed Americans want to see the returns, Trump had a simple answer: "I won. I became president. I mean, I don’t think they care at all."

Instead, it's just the press who care about his tax documents, Trump asserted. He also insisted that "very little" could be learned from his returns.

A smattering of applause erupted from some gathered in Trump Tower for the press conference when Trump insisted the general public does not care about the returns.

Trump was asked about his tax returns after he told reporters Wednesday that he did not have any dealings in Russia.

"I have no deals with Russia, I have no deals that could happen in Russia because we've stayed away," Trump said. "I have no loans with Russia. As a real estate developer, I have very little debt."

Trump has famously declined to release his tax returns — a fairly unprecedented move from the president-elect — because he says they are under an audit.

The IRS has said an audit does not prevent Trump from releasing the information.