President Donald Trump returned to Las Vegas this week eager to celebrate the imaginary results of his economic agenda. Speaking before supporters at Red Rock Resort, he touted his signature “No Tax on Tips” policy, praised tariffs and declared that the American economy is roaring.
It was a familiar campaign-style performance filled with confidence and applause lines.
But for a city whose livelihood depends on hospitality and tourism, Trump’s remarks left out an inconvenient truth: Tax-free tips only matter if workers are employed and earning tips in the first place.
Unemployed workers don’t earn tips. And for the bartenders serving drinks on the Strip, the dealers working casino floors, the hotel housekeepers, restaurant servers and ride-share drivers, whose incomes depend on visitors, prosperity begins with people walking through the door.
