Trump promised millions to charity. We found less than $10,000 over 7 years.
Source: Washington Post
By David A. Fahrenthold
June 28 at 6:00 AM
In May, under pressure from the news media, Donald Trump made good on a pledge he made four months earlier: He gave $1 million to a nonprofit group helping veterans families.
Before that, however, when was the last time that Trump gave any of his own money to a charity?
If Trump stands by his promises, such donations should be occurring all the time. In the past 15 years, Trump has promised to donate earnings from a wide variety of his money-making enterprises: The Apprentice. Trump Vodka. Trump University. A book. Another book. If he honored all those pledges, Trumps gifts to charity would have topped $8.5 million.
But in that time, public records show, Trump donated about $2.8 million less than a third of the pledged figure through a foundation set up to give his money away. And there is no evidence that Trump has given to his foundation lately: The last record of any gift from him to his foundation was in 2008.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-promised-millions-to-charity-we-found-less-than-10000-over-7-years/2016/06/28/cbab5d1a-37dd-11e6-8f7c-d4c723a2becb_story.html
Human101948
(3,457 posts)4. The charity scam. Another way the wealthy avoid paying taxes on their billions is to make charitable donations. If you donate property, you never have to pay income tax on that donation, whatever it costs you and how much its worth right now. Well you might say, at least someone benefits from the charity. Whether or not the charitable donation is a scam in whole or in part depends on the answer to that old question: qui bono? Aka, who benefits? Thats where the real scam takes place.
And theres no legal requirement that a charity must spend its wealth. In fact, IRS rules require only that charities spend about 5 percent of their investment assets annually, and all or part of this amount can be spent on salaries and expenses, rather than devoted to the charitable purpose the charity purports to be serving. So, what happens with a charitable trust, set up by a billionaire, and controlled by one of the billionaires children? The child gets a job and a salary for life. Maybe a mansion to live in and entertain in as a fringe benefit. This is a great gig for the heir...
....Bill Gates and Warren Buffett got lots of great press in 2010, when they launched the Giving Pledge, committing Americas wealthiest to giving away half their wealth to charity. Since then lots of big names Michael Bloomberg, Larry Ellison, Carl Icahn, George Lucas, Michael Milken, Peter Peterson, Ted Turner, Mark Zuckerberg have all signed on. Sounds greatso philanthropic. Would it be churlish under the circumstances to ask for more details?http://www.salon.com/2013/04/12/10_tax_dodges_that_help_the_rich_get_richer_partner/
marble falls
(56,359 posts)Stuart G
(38,365 posts)He promises to give to charities, and gives nothing...Not much to defend..maybe you are correct..."He'll never clear the Convention.
marble falls
(56,359 posts)will it suppress the vote and we end up with the same Congress and maybe two or three more empty SCOTUS seats.
I may be a minority here but it doesn't matter so much which Democrat holds the White House. Congress is more important.
Scientific
(314 posts)This kind of BS hypocrisy is a core Republican value,
kind of like when Republicans wear their cute little US flag lapel pins
(made-in-slave factories in China).
Nothing real at all. Just smoke and frikken mirrors, and lies.
PJMcK
(21,921 posts)Totally phony patriotism.
rpannier
(24,304 posts)Himself
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)more 'fun' for the fabulously wealthy. "Invest" in a charity breeding farm for elephants, big cats and exotics in some far away lands, make a 250k "donation" to the "Preserve" and kill an elephant, or a rhino with a big horn. Make sure to 'donate' to all the local government officials(permits), it's a deductible business expense anyway.
Use Americas lax for wealthy 'hunters' "trophy" regulations and import that trophy with ivory tusks or rhino horn. Can sell that "trophy" anytime.
sulphurdunn
(6,891 posts)of expose gets too much attention, Forbes or other corporate media organs launch counter campaigns explaining how the rich are actually paying way too much in taxes and how they carry all the "lucky duckies" and other free loaders lower on the food chain by creating jobs and sprinkling their largess like manna from heaven upon the undeserving. That's because they're a bunch of softhearted, philanthropic geniuses for whom we should thank our lucky stars and without whom we would be freezing, starving and living in caves.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)Trump is up by 12-15 points on Hillary in the "trustworthy and straightforward" category?
PSPS
(13,516 posts)amuse bouche
(3,657 posts)Does everyone have pay to read articles in Wapo?
This blocking is annoying
sulphurdunn
(6,891 posts)one of those, "if they're stupid enough to believe me and let me get away with it, they deserve what they get," grifters who proudly tells you what he really thinks when it doesn't matter.
Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)you should be aware of what the road to Hell is paved with!
Gothmog
(144,005 posts)TexasMommaWithAHat
(3,212 posts)Surely, some of this is a crime?
iandhr
(6,852 posts)emordnilaP
(5 posts)smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)He doesn't even pay people he owes! He's certainly not going to give away money out of "the good of his heart".