Sen. Rand Paul took a chainsaw to the tax code, literally. But even a slickly produced campaign video couldn’t cut through the frenzy over Donald Trump.
The Kentucky Republican released an edgy video Tuesday called “How would you kill the tax code?” Sporting a black “Detroit Republican” T-shirt, Paul talks about creating a one-page tax form with a 14.5% flat tax and destroying “all 70,000 pages” of the U.S. tax code.
Then, for dramatic effect, he sets stacks of paper on fire, shoves them in a wood-chipper and takes a chainsaw to them, while an electric guitar squeals the national anthem.
But veiled references to the movie “Fargo” and Jimi Hendrix’s performance at Woodstock weren’t enough to turn the video into a viral triumph. For that, Trump, the Republican frontrunner, simply gave out Sen. Lindsey Graham’s personal phone number in a speech.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Why We're Spending So Much Money Now
- The Fight to Free Evan Gershkovich
- Meet the 2024 Women of the Year
- John Kerry's Next Move
- The Quiet Work Trees Do for the Planet
- Breaker Sunny Choi Is Heading to Paris
- Column: The Internet Made Romantic Betrayal Even More Devastating
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com