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Trump claims $102 million charitable donations over last 5 years, but gave no personal cash
American Thinker ^ | 04/11/2016 | Thomas Lifson

Posted on 04/11/2016 8:20:52 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

In a lengthy analysis of data provided by the Trump campaign, Washington Post writers David A. Fahrenthold and  Rosalind S. Heiderman find that claimed charitable contributions by Donald Trump included no actual cash from his personal funds.

Since the first day of his presidential campaign, Donald Trump has said that he gave more than $102 million to charity in the past five years.

To back up that claim, Trump’s campaign compiled a list of his contributions — 4,844 of them, filling 93 pages.

But, in that massive list, one thing was missing.

Not a single one of those donations was actually a personal gift of Trump’s own money.

Instead, according to a Washington Post analysis, many of the gifts that Trump cited to prove his generosity were free rounds of golf, given away by his courses for charity auctions and raffles.

Another substantial source of charitable deductions was “land-conservation agreements to forgo development rights on property Trump owns.”

Both of these categories of charity are entirely legitimate. But they do not involve taking money out of a bank and giving to others. Instead, they forego opportunities to make money in the future, and generate tax deductions today.

Additionally, the $102 million figure includes donations by the Donald J. Trump Foundation, but as the reporters show, funding for that foundation has, in recent years, come from others.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 1stcanadiansenator; articleaboutarticle; charity; donations; globalistcruz; incestuousted; lyinted; merrickgarlandlvscrz; noteligiblecruz; openboarderscruz; stopthesteal; thomaslifson; trump; trumpcharity; washingtonpost
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To: PGR88

Exactly! Way more cost effective with more benefit to the charity involved.


41 posted on 04/11/2016 8:44:17 AM PDT by mad_as_he$$
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To: Blood of Tyrants

If he gives away rounds of golf, he loses that money right? It goes against bottom line?


42 posted on 04/11/2016 8:44:42 AM PDT by napscoordinator (Trump/Hunter, jr for President/Vice President 2016)
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To: SeekAndFind
We can't tell what Cruz has donated, because the only portion of his tax returns that he has released for the past four years is the 1040. The same holds true for Kasich.
43 posted on 04/11/2016 8:45:30 AM PDT by kabar
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To: napscoordinator

Not really. It costs him nearly nothing to let a person play a round of golf for free. Only upkeep on the course.


44 posted on 04/11/2016 8:46:57 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Liberals are the Taliban of America, trying to tear down any symbol that they don't like.)
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To: SeekAndFind
In a lengthy analysis of data provided by the Trump Cruz campaign, Washington Post writers David A. Fahrenthold and Rosalind S. Heiderman find that claimed charitable contributions by Donald Trump Ted Cruz included no actual cash from his personal funds.
45 posted on 04/11/2016 8:48:52 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Blood of Tyrants

The Big Christian Ted Cruz doesn’t even Tithe to his Church.


46 posted on 04/11/2016 8:50:07 AM PDT by scooby321
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To: ObozoMustGo2012
Allow me......

Trump doesn't have the income he claims.....which is why he won't release his tax returns.

More importantly, this is probably tax fraud. Gifts in kind are valued by the donor, subject to substantiation by the IRS if requested ( another potential problem.<. So Trump "donates" a tee time at one of his clubs..says it's worth $1000..takes a tax deduction...which sticks it to the taxpayers...instead..it's worth more like an unsold seat at a movie, or on an airplane...closer to ZERO...That's tax fraud..big time, baby...

Remember back when Hillary donated Bill's used BVDs..claimed $1 for each of them..

47 posted on 04/11/2016 8:51:12 AM PDT by ken5050 (Trump: "I'm no conservative, but I sure can play one on TV")
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To: kjam22
I don’t know.... I guess if you’re running for political office and people give you money maybe you take it? Maybe you don’t? It would certainly make news if you don’t take it from some gay organization. Is that different than donating money to a gay organization, when you aren’t running for an office....just because? I dunno....

Perhaps then it is a bit hypocritical to be casting stones living in a glass house.. You are aware it was a Texas case, that Cruz ignored, the Supremes used, to make a Constitutional right for same sex marriage? It is NOT a stretch to consider that 'gay' fundraiser a pay off... In the world of Cruz think?

48 posted on 04/11/2016 8:51:34 AM PDT by Just mythoughts (Jesus said Luke 17:32 Remember Lot's wife.)
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To: dynoman
Trump supporters are now advocating for changing the rules in the middle of the game to most delegates and not 1,231.

Donald Trump hasn't won anything, yet!

So nothing can be stolen.

49 posted on 04/11/2016 8:54:03 AM PDT by TexasCajun
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To: jessduntno

OK, let’s be honest. SAW a round of golf at Doral costs$500 dollars and Trump donated that to XYZ charity. The charity then conducts a raffle and raises $10,000 dollars. Which is more of a benefit to the charity?

Mrs. Mad is heavily involved in charity fundraising. Guess what - the raffle is the preferred method for fund raising even at the local level. Why do you think there are ads raffling off a vette on the internet? Because it raises way more money than any other method.


50 posted on 04/11/2016 8:54:05 AM PDT by mad_as_he$$
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To: AppyPappy
What if he sold everything and pulled out of tge economy so he could donate more in cash? Maybe have all the super wealthy do so...wouldn't that be nice?
51 posted on 04/11/2016 8:55:53 AM PDT by AndyTheBear
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To: Just mythoughts

I don’t know enough to decide. It comes down to the fundamental question..... is there a difference between the guy being bribed and the one paying the bribe? And if you elect the one who has been paying the bribes all these years, can you rationally expect that he won’t work on the other side of “the deal” once elected? Who knows...? I don’t know...


52 posted on 04/11/2016 8:56:21 AM PDT by kjam22 (America need forgiveness from God..... even if Donald Trump doesn't)
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To: dynoman
What ever happened to all that money Trump raised for the veterans?
53 posted on 04/11/2016 8:56:46 AM PDT by TexasCajun
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To: az_gila
“land-conservation agreements to forgo development rights on property Trump owns”

I'm really curious about these. We have several neighbors (ranchers) who have put there land in conservation agreements. They ALL were paid big bucks (millions) for doing this. I'm wondering since Mr. Trump called this charitable giving if he donated this or was paid as well.

54 posted on 04/11/2016 8:57:02 AM PDT by Texan
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To: TexasCajun

Selctive reporting.

Trump just gave 100K to the 9-11 memorial.


55 posted on 04/11/2016 8:58:52 AM PDT by dynoman (Objectivity is the essence of intelligence. - Marilyn vos Savant)
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To: ken5050

Lots of assumptions with no proof. What income does Trump claim?


56 posted on 04/11/2016 9:00:58 AM PDT by kabar
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To: kjam22
I don’t know enough to decide. It comes down to the fundamental question..... is there a difference between the guy being bribed and the one paying the bribe? And if you elect the one who has been paying the bribes all these years, can you rationally expect that he won’t work on the other side of “the deal” once elected? Who knows...? I don’t know...

I can support Trump, because he is exposing the political, economic, and educational corruption, spending his own dime... And in some sense, Trump is as well exposing the 'religious' corruption, that give white wash cover over the prior mentioned institutions. Religious charities survive via feeding tube funding, from the taxpayers treasury. Cruz just thinks he is so smart and entitled it should be his turn. He has no record of success and could not run even a hotdog stand and make a profit.

There is not one thing 'conservative' about Cruz's VAT tax proposal. VAT taxation is pure socialism and the perfect methodology of striping the US citizenry of their hard earned profits. It is a slight of hand taxation... and it is so European Union, of which we are NOT.

57 posted on 04/11/2016 9:06:17 AM PDT by Just mythoughts (Jesus said Luke 17:32 Remember Lot's wife.)
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To: Texan
“land-conservation agreements to forgo development rights on property Trump owns”

I'm really curious about these. We have several neighbors (ranchers) who have put there land in conservation agreements. They ALL were paid big bucks (millions) for doing this. I'm wondering since Mr. Trump called this charitable giving if he donated this or was paid as well.


Perhaps he took no money and claimed the ‘value’ of the $$$ he didn't take as a contribution?

I'm sure it was all done for zoning considerations on property that he developed nearby.

58 posted on 04/11/2016 9:06:57 AM PDT by az_gila
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To: mad_as_he$$

“OK, let’s be honest. SAW a round of golf at Doral costs$500 dollars and Trump donated that to XYZ charity. The charity then conducts a raffle and raises $10,000 dollars. Which is more of a benefit to the charity?”

Well, if we are being honest, how much came from Trump’s pocket that “he personally donated?” Nice evasion on your part of BOTH the truth and the point. If he says “he donated it” well, then did he? If he said his corporation donated it, then it would be a truthful statement.

If you are part of the “truth in government” folks, be part of it. If you just want to continue running the same old bullshit on us, say so. You know what I’m saying.


59 posted on 04/11/2016 9:08:40 AM PDT by jessduntno (The mind of a liberal...deceit, desire for control, greed, contradiction and fueled by hate.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Yeah, so? This pathetic hit piece ignores that businessmen (and women) often give charity through their businesses and other means not personal cash.


60 posted on 04/11/2016 9:12:26 AM PDT by reaganaut (Bible Scholars, Theologians and Evangelicals for Trump)
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