While Hillary Clinton’s email server continues to be the major campaign story with eight days to go until the election, the Washington Post has revealed that Donald Trump’s claims that he has given “millions and millions” to various charities through the years is not true.
“For as long as he has been rich and famous, Donald Trump has also wanted people to believe he is generous. He spent years constructing an image as a philanthropist by appearing at charity events and by making very public — even nationally televised — promises to give his own money away.
It was, in large part, a facade. A months-long investigation by The Washington Post has not been able to verify many of Trump’s boasts about his philanthropy.”Movie Fifty Shades Darker (2017)
Making campaign promises that you have no intention of keeping is one thing, but lying about giving to charity?
- Trump promised to give away the proceeds of Trump University.
- He promised to donate the salary he earned from “The Apprentice.”
- He promised to give personal donations to the charities chosen by contestants on “Celebrity Apprentice.”
- He promised to donate $250,000 to a charity helping Israeli soldiers and veterans.
The Post says those promises alone add up to millions of dollars, but no one — including Trump himself — can verify that he followed through on any of them.
The Post called more than 400 charities with connection to Trump and found only one personal gift from Trump between 2008 and the spring of this year.
In a written statement the Trump campaign responded that the billionaire, who has also lied about releasing his tax returns before election day, “has personally donated tens of millions of dollars to charitable causes.”
But they refused to offer any evidence to counter what The Post reported.