You don’t pay taxes on your “net worth”, only the current year’s income.
“OK, can someone please explain to me this obsession with Trump’s tax returns?”
It’s a “fishing expedition”. It’s an obsession with Trump. They have no idea what they will find. They can “spin” almost anything into something negative.
Yes I know. I file tax returns too.
The fact is that a glance at several consecutive years' tax returns can reveal a whole lot about a person's means/income/worth. It's possible he has a trillion dollars hidden under a mattress somewhere but more likely that a large percentage of his assets are earning him income.