Evidence shows that even now, when it is illegal for employers to pocket tips, many still do. Research on workers in three large U.S. cities found that 12 percent of tipped workers had tips stolen by their employers or supervisors. With that much illegal tip theft taking place, it's clear that when employers can legally pocket the tips, many will.
Basic US economics tells us that back-of-the-house workers are very unlikely to get more pay overall. The fact that workers are in those jobs means employers are already paying them what they need to pay them to get them in the current environment. If employers do share some tips with them, it will likely be offset by a reduction in their base pay.
When Donald Trump was running for office, he made big claims about how he was going to fight for workers. But since in office, he has consistently moved against the interest of workers in favor of corporate interests - by rolling back important worker protections, advancing nominees to key posts with records of enabling the exploitation of working people, pushing for the dismantling of Obamacare, fighting for a tax bill that overwhelmingly favors the wealthy, etc.
In the case of the tip rule, Donald Trump has delivered a huge gift to the owners of big chain restaurants, for whom getting their hands on workers' tips has been a holy grail for a very long time. In Donald Trump, they finally found a president who will do their bidding.
