DONALD TRUMP paid just $750 (£587) in federal income tax both in 2016, when he ran for US presidency, and in his first year in the White House.

The New York Times, which has obtained tax records for the president and his businesses over two decades, reported on Sunday that he paid no income taxes at all in 10 of the previous 15 years, “largely because he reported losing much more money than he made.”

According to his presidential rival Joe Biden’s campaign team, the figure compares with the typical income tax return of $7,239 for teachers, $5,283 for firefighters and $10,216 for nurses.

Mr Trump, as always, called the report “totally fake news.”

He said: “Actually I paid tax. And you'll see that as soon as my tax returns — it's under audit, they’ve been under audit for a long time.

“The IRS [Internal Revenue Service] does not treat me well… they treat me very badly.”

In the past, Mr Trump has faced legal challenges for refusing to share documents concerning his fortune and business. He is the first president since the 1970s not to make his tax returns public, though this is not required by law.

Democrat Senator Bernie Sanders tweeted: “Shock of shocks! Donald Trump, the self-proclaimed billionaire, received a $72.9 million tax refund from the IRS while not paying a nickel in federal income taxes in 10 out of 15 years. 

“Yep. Trump l-o-v-e-s corporate socialism for himself, rugged capitalism for everyone else.”

Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote: “He knows better than anyone that there’s one set of rules for the wealthy and giant corporations and another for hard-working Americans—and instead of using his power to fix it, he’s taken advantage of it at every turn.

“This is about more than one man’s personal tax scams. Donald Trump is a liar, a cheater, and a crooked businessman, yes. 

“But he’s also taking advantage of a broken, corrupt, and unequal system that’s built for people like him to do what he did.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the report showed that Mr Trump had taken “extraordinary measures” to “game the tax code and avoid paying his fair share of taxes.”