After more than 30 years in the Las Vegas restaurant industry, waiter Aaron Mahan ought to be pleased about Donald Trump's much-touted "No Tax On Tips" policy.
Unfortunately for this one-time supporter of the US president, the small gain he eked out on his tax return has been dwarfed by the drop in income as tourist numbers plunge.
"I'm currently making probably $2-3,000 less (per month) than I was before," the 53-year-old told AFP.
"It's been harder for me to make ends meet with a much lower salary." Las Vegas, a byword for gambling and excess, last year saw a 7.5-percent fall in the number of visitors -- the largest drop outside of the Covid pandemic since the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority began keeping records in 1970.
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Mahan considers himself a victim of what he calls the "Trump slump." The restaurant at his casino, which used to operate around the clock, has laid off about 20 employees and switched to a buffet format that is open only in the morning.
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The Culinary Union, which represents 60,000 hospitality workers in Nevada, says thousands of its members are now out of work or seeing their hours cut.
Ted Pappageorge, the organization's secretary-treasurer, says Trump's headline-grabbing pledge ahead of the presidential election has been effectively nullified by the reality of economics that his unpredicability has created.
"If you're not making the tips, what good is the tax credit?" he fumed.