Posted on 07/16/2015 3:38:22 AM PDT by RC one
The eccentricities and controversies of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign have polarized the Republican Party faithful, just a few weeks after Trump announced his bid.
In a July 2, 2015, appearance on CNN, radio host and author Ben Ferguson joined conservatives critical of Trump, alleging a lack of seriousness and loyalty to the GOP. "Donald Trump is not some big GOP Republican," he said, "and some people are trying to act like he is."
But Ferguson took his admonishment a step further, questioning Trump’s financial commitment to the party and claiming that Trump has "given more money to Democratic candidates than Republican candidates." Trump’s dalliances with different political parties are well known, but we wanted to add up the donation totals to see what they said.
The radio host, when reached for comment, offered a mostly anecdotal defense of his claim, citing big contributions from Trump to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Ferguson also pointed to contributions from Trump to Hillary Clinton and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
Trump’s loyalties have not been exclusive to Republicans, Ferguson noted. In 2000, he launched a short-lived bid for the Reform Party’s presidential nomination, receiving more than 15,000 votes in the party’s California primary -- a tally that would have won him the state had he not already withdrawn from the race. Ferguson also directed us to his complicated history with party registration.
What the numbers show
We went to two authoritative databases of campaign finance data to examine Ferguson’s numbers: OpenSecrets.org, to find federal donations, and FollowtheMoney.org, for state-level donations.
Trump has actually been relatively evenhanded in doling out cash to the two parties, but since 1989, he’s contributed over $350,000 more to Republicans running for federal and state offices, campaign finance records show
Data from the Federal Election Commission and state elections offices provided by the two websites show that Trump has given $584,850 to Democrats and $961,140 to the GOP over the last 26 years.
The difference in donations is almost entirely captured in Trump’s recent giving. Since 2012, Trump has donated $463,450 to Republicans and just $3,500 to Democrats (California Attorney General Kamala Harris and New York Assemblyman Michael Benedetto).
We’ve included those numbers below, with links to records of the individual contributions.
In short, Ferguson’s claim might have been true had he uttered it just a few years ago. In 2011, a Washington Post analysis of Trump’s donations found the majority of them going to Democrats. But the flow of cash from Trump to Democrats has fallen off; the last time he gave to a Democrat running for federal office was in 2010.
We can’t drill down into local and city politics because there is no single campaign finance database. But we should note that Trump donated $50,000 to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2010, as well as over $25,000 more to other Cook County Democrats, among other donations that he’s made on the local level. (Trump has made his presence known in the Windy City.)
At the same time, however, the real estate mogul’s gifts to Republican candidates and organizations increased dramatically. Since 2010, Trump has donated $124,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee and given another $50,000 to American Crossroads, a conservative super PAC.
A mix of politics and business
It’s important to note that just as Trump’s political ambitions and private business interests often seem to overlap, it’s sometimes difficult to parse out the exact motivations behind many of his political contributions over the years.
As an influential real estate developer in the Northeast and in cities around the world, Trump’s contributions may have not have much to do with one’s political party.
From 1996 to 2007, for instance, Trump made 12 separate donations to New Jersey Rep. Frank LoBiondo, a Republican who represents the Garden State’s Second Congressional District. The district includes Atlantic City, where the Trump Organization used to have significant holdings.
While conservatives like Ferguson have criticized Trump for his donations to Democrats, Trump defended himself as having no viable Republican options in overwhelmingly blue states like New York. "Everyone’s Democratic," he told Sean Hannity in 2011. "So what am I going to do — contribute to Republicans? One thing: I’m not stupid. Am I going to contribute to Republicans for my whole life when they get heat when they run against some Democrat and the most they can get is 1 percent of the vote?"
Our rating
Ferguson said that Trump has "given more money to Democratic candidates than Republican candidates."
We can’t say definitively that his claim is wrong at all levels of government, since we don’t have the local data. But public records show that the real estate tycoon has actually contributed around $350,000 more to Republicans at the state and federal level than Democrats. That, however, is a recent development.
Ferguson’s statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts. We rate it Mostly False.
My uncle is the CEO of a major corporation and he often told me that most intelligent corporations donate equally to both sides. So what’s the big deal with Trump doing that?
Do you know anything about real estate development?
Uh, wrong. It has EVERYTHING to do with political leanings. Liberals love this, they celebrate this, this is HOW liberals (including crony Republicans) think business should work.
True conservatives reject this. They say it's wrong, and say it's one of the main reasons for a limited government. The Kochs got wealthy without this. Rush Limbaugh got wealthy without this. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates got wealthy without this.....the idea that this is something that should be excused or over looked in a supposedly conservative candidate is silly. Cronyism is the OPPOSITE of liberty, freedom and true free market capitalism.
The Kochs business is not in real estate but oil and gas (and frankly was built by their father). Jobs and Gates built businesses in technology...no politics there.
Now consider real estate development.
As a retired investment banker who had RE developer clients and who financed many large RE projects, I know first hand the hoops they must jump through to get their projects approved and built and maintained. They pay to grease the skids...or they can get into another line of work...like oil and gas, computers, or talk radio.
After the last two ‘cranial gas escapes’ that the Republicans have put forward in the last two election cycles, I sit and watch how much the Republicans, whether talking heads on TV, or other folks attempting to get enough notice, are screaming for Trump to ‘shut up’.
Trump, as it is already said, is saying things that need to be said. The cookie-cutter politicians of today, that WE have allowed to procreate, are no longer operating in the Constitutional model, but are working to enslave us, under THEM.
Amazing the number of excuses that pour forth for this guy. How is this any different than another candidate saying whatever he thinks will get him elected, vs. taking an actual stand? Would “real estate development” also explain Trump’s support for Kelo?
You and I both know Scott Walker would never get the kind of pass that Trump is getting.
No, I’m not wrong at all. And your statement that the Kochs biz was all built by their dad is absurd, as is the notion that there’s not politics in biz tech. Simply ridiculous. BTW, Trump and the Kochs were born rich, but the scoreboard here is Trump 4 bankruptcy filings, Koch’s 0. Think about it.
But let me explain this in the proper context...and the proper context is that Trumps business success is being touted as how he’s going to totally turn this economy around and create zillions of jobs. Well, if it’s a true rags to riches story, that’s one thing. But if it’s a guy born wealthy strategically using questionable means to like cronyism and bankruptcy to stay wealthy, well, that’s not our savior.
As a businessman, I’ve got no real problems with what Trump has done. As a candidate, however, these kinds of business wheelings and dealings are NOT what I’m looking for. We;’re not talking about whether Trump should lose his real estate holdings here. We’re talking about the absurd notion that this kind of career means he knows macro economics and how to turn things around.
“Everyone’s Democratic,” he told Sean Hannity in 2011. “So what am I going to do — contribute to Republicans? One thing: I’m not stupid. Am I going to contribute to Republicans for my whole life when they get heat when they run against some Democrat and the most they can get is 1 percent of the vote?”
A man of principle. Now let’s think about what that principle is.
Support for Kelo?
OUCH. Good point....
Donald Trump and Eminent Domain
True Believers, and true Scientists, walk side by side.
Both are in constant search for the ultimate Truth.
I explained the nature of the RE development business.
I didn't say I approve of it...but that's the way it is. Infinitely more political than computers or oil and gas (btw, I had oil and gas clients also...I know that business from the inside out). RE developer aren't concerned with the nature of the pols in power, they're just greasing the skids.
I don't disagree with you about Trump being a crony capitalist. What I am saying is that in that business, politic contributions to ALL pols is a huge part of what you do.
And I am not arguing that Trump can deliver on jobs or that he knows ANYTHING about macro economics.
I have yet to hear Trump talk about cutting tax rates on individuals and businesses or cutting regulations.
I made one very simple point. RE developers contribute to pols in power to get the projects built. Trump is a RE developer so of course he contributes to democrats.
Period.
I support Trump only to the extent that I believe he is paving the way for Cruz and kicking some ass in the process.
That said, whining about him is irrelevant.
Donate? Trump wasn’t donating. He was buying and they were selling.
Let’s see, most cities where Donald Trump operates are dominated by the corrupt Democrat political machine. A donation to Hillary floats back as an easier time with a licence or a building permit. OR floats back as not having a hard time, so in effect, he’s “donating” extortion money. He’s guilty of doing business where corrupt politicians hold sway, as are most of us who have to frequent cities.
As far as I am concerned, Mark Zuckerberg fell into his billions. Trump had to make thousands of decisions and deals to get his. Take away both of their fortunes and only Trump will rise again. Is that the ambition of a libtard who squanders to failed causes or a conservative who retains resources in order to grow them?
If he keeps bitch-slapping Hillary, the GOPe, and Obama, he’ll get my vote.
No it’s not bait and switch....you were off on an irrelevant tangent.
This is not about Trump’s business dealings and the legality of it and the practicality of it. NOT ABOUT THAT and it NEVER HAS BEEN. If you were focused on that, then you were missing the point.
This is all about Trump the candidate, and more specifically, about the notion that his business acumen is proof that he can turn it all around. All I’m doing is pointing out that this is a silly notion given that he has aggressively used crony connections and nefarious (but legal) bankruptcy laws to enrich himself.
If you can’t see that, then maybe this discussion is above your pay grade.
Don’t confuse these folks with the facts......you know, like he’s been a conservative for since the dawning of what, June?
My original comment was ONLY that RE developers make contributions to all kind of pols (look up thread). I never commented on anything else.
If you are looking for a fight, perhaps you should take your petulance elsewhere.
I'm not getting personal, but I am getting frustrated.....because no one, let me repeat this...NO>>>>ONE.....has ever disputed that above. But let's face it, that's been a Trump story for 40 years, but it's not the story of the last 40 days.
This entire discussion is about the notion of Trump's business acumen as a political asset. This is not a story about the vagaries of the development business. I've known many developers, and I have a decent lay understanding of that industry. Not the point.
Consider this: Sarah Palin is very good at exposing crony capitalism. Trump is very good at participating in it - unapologetically.
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