We're not running for the presidency, and we're not billionaires. Day-to-day expenses are a concern in a way they're not with Trump. Trump is using the donations to defuse charges about his liberal record. For non-true believers, it stinks of deceptive behavior. Do we really want to find out that Trump is a white Obama after he's elected?
From 2007 account (skipping the material about his marriages):
..... Trump reportedly benefited in the 1970s from the financially strained New York City government's willingness to give tax concessions in exchange for investment. He proposed reconstruction of the Commodore Hotel in 1976, funding the project with tax breaks, and eventually sold his stake to Hyatt Hotels two years later, when the construction started. ..... < snip >
..... Later in 1980, a similar situation would take place with the renovation of Wollman Skating Rink in Central Park. The New York City Government estimated the construction would take under three years, but after spending $12 million, the rink was still under renovation in 1986.
Trump Organization soared in the economic highs of the '80s with Donald's own real estate deals in residential and hotel properties. He and Ivana ruled Manhattan society, and his status grew on the contacts he made with politicians and other businessmen. ..... < snip >
..... In the late '80s, he acquired a shuttle service run by Eastern Airlines and renamed it the Trump Shuttle. Flights ran from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Boston's Logan Airport, and also to D.C.'s Reagan National Airport. He quickly defaulted on his loans, though, having been hit by the recession at the time, and the shuttle became operated by US Air as of 1992. Trump gave up ownership in 1994. ..... < snip >
..... Despite his difficulties, and loan debts of almost $2 billion, Trump continued to have multiple pots boiling... The real estate mogul, famous for being "the master of the deal," restructured his financial assets and debts using bankruptcy protection and offloaded some of his assets to banks and creditors in the early '90s.
His businesses, especially casinos, suffered, but he was soon on his way to a multi-million dollar comeback in the mid-late 1990s. Trump built up his reputation using media exposure to his advantage with numerous contacts, quotes and cameos.
Trump tried to overcome rumors and failed investments and to negotiate and reclaim any lost stakes in his Trump assets through financial loan and bond deals. ..... < snip >
..... Trump quit the Republican party in 1999 and switched to the Reform party, and ran for president again in 2000. Trump is a centrist who gives money to both parties, mostly maintaining Democratic contacts but openly admits he voted for President Bush because of his tax cut policy. He remains a friend of Democrats Sen. Chuck Schumer, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Sen. Frank Lautenberg. ..... In the 2004 presidential election, he gave $2,000 to both Bush and his rival John Kerry.
The rail yards along the Hudson River Trump acquired in the 1970s became the basis for a multi-billion dollar housing project, comprised of 5,700 units, called Trump Place. Trump Place expands along his entire Upper West Side rail yard property. ..... < snip >
..... Trump constantly hailed "The Apprentice" as "the best show on television," where he would note in every episode that something he did was the biggest, tallest, most successful or most expensive.
From another source, on 1987 parade :
..... Organizers received no contributions from the 200 corporations they asked ..... < snip > ..... Then Donald Trump, a nonveteran, agreed to throw in $200,000 as well as raise money from his friends, in exchange for being named grand marshal.
Since then, money has come in, though not enough to meet the original budget, which was reduced from $2.9 million to $2.4 million. Fireworks were just one of many cuts.
In conclusion : Donald Trump is quick to take the personal credit but in reality he had collected most of the donated money from the political and business friends and associates (OPM) and matched the funds in 1987 to "save" the parade that "was in transition" to another organization; then in 1995 in exchange for being named Grand Marshal, and $1M donation in 1983 to be Co-Chair and Founding Member of Vietnam Veterans Memorial (dedicated by NYC mayor Ed Koch in 1985), which is built not far from — and thus adding value to — his properties, generating great PR for himself and getting in-kind NYC contracts with tax breaks and expedited construction permits, again using veterans for his own financial benefit... until he needed to use them again recently to justify his ducking out of debate which couldn't improve his position but could very well damage it.
Q.E.I., Q.E.D.
Because he is rich, you feel Trump should “give his fair share”? You sound like quite the liberal or Communist, telling everyone else what to do with their money. People should be grateful, but instead Trump giving his own money away isn’t quite good enough for you. Easy for you to criticize. I’m sure you haven’t donated a damn dime.