Posted on 01/28/2016 1:19:00 PM PST by conservativejoy
Rather than going directly to veterans groups, 100% of online donations on Trump's pro-veterans site will go directly to Trump's personal foundation.
After ducking the final Republican presidential debate heading into next week's Iowa caucuses, GOP front-runner Donald Trump announced that he would hold his own pro-veterans event during the debate to raise money for veterans. Trump even set up a special website to solicit donations to help veterans.
"Honor their valor," the website, donaldtrumpforvets.com, states. "Donate now to help our Veterans."
The website, which is nothing more than a single page with stock photos and a credit card donation form, claims that "100% of your donations will go directly to Veterans needs."
There's only one problem: 100% of the money raised on the site goes directly to Donald Trump's personal non-profit foundation, according to a disclosure listed at the bottom of the page.
"The Donald J Trump Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization," the disclosure reads. "An email confirmation with a summary of your donation will be sent to the email address provided above."
Trump Non Profit Vets
Confirmation e-mails sent to individuals who contributed via the website confirm that rather than going directly to veterans, all contributions made from the site go directly to Donald Trump's personal foundation.
"The Donald J Trump Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and acknowledges that no goods or services were provided to you in return for your contribution," the confirmation e-mail states. "This letter is your receipt and should be kept with your tax records."
A separate confirmation page that loads after donations are made on the site contains the same language noting that the contribution was made to the Donald J Trump Foundation, not to a distinct veterans organization with a history of directly supporting veterans and their families.
According to the domain registry information for Trump's site, the domain was not registered until Thursday morning. The firm that registered the domain, Florida-based Parscale Media, also designed Trump's official presidential campaign website.
Trump's personal non-profit foundation, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, does not have a history of donating much money to veterans or to veterans' causes. According to a recent analysis of the organization's spending history by the Weekly Standard, Trump's non-profit donated more money to the Clinton Foundation than it did to veterans causes.
Between 2009 and 2013, Trump's non-profit donated between $100,001 and $250,000 to the Clinton Foundation. Over the same period of time, Trump's group gave only $57,000 to veterans groups. A 2015 analysis by Forbes noted that barely 1 percent of the Donald J. Trump Foundation's $5.5 million worth of donations betwen 2009 and 2013 went to organizations that support military veterans:
The Donald J. Trump Foundation has donated $5.5 million to 298 charities between 2009 and 2013 (the most recent year available), according to the non-profit's 990 tax forms from those years. Of that, only $57,000 has been donated to seven organizations that directly benefit military veterans or their families, Forbes found. Wounded Warriors was not among the organizations Trump's foundation gave to in that time period.
Forbes also found that Trump, who we estimate is worth $4.5 billion, has not made personal contributions to his foundation during the same time period. We reached out to his spokespeople for comment, but did not hear back before publishing.
Trump made waves last July when he attacked Sen. John McCain, a Vietnam prisoner of war who was imprisoned for years in the infamous Hanoi Hilton torture camp, for being captured by enemy troops.
"I don't like losers," Trump said during an event moderated by GOP focus group guru Frank Luntz. Trump was referring to McCain.
But he's a war hero," moderator Frank Luntz interjected. "He's a war hero!"
"He's not a 'war hero,'" Trump responded. "He's a 'war hero' because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured, okay? I hate to tell you."
The logistics of distributing donations to several veterans groups while on air would be both difficult, and unfair. He’s only had a few days to set all this up.
It makes sense that the donations be put in one central account to be distributed evenly after all the pledges and donations are collected.
Donald Trump is not trying to “steal” the veterans money. Do you really think he needs it? He’s turned down dozens of donors and PACs so why should he need the paultry (by comparison) amount from some telethon?
Some of you Trump bashes would walk around the world to get to your own back door.
So Trump is worth 3 billion. He’s going to take 50 or 100 million from the vet donations he gets at this event.
Its probably Trump trying to work out how not to have the money going to the CEO of wounded veterans.
The loons never get over it.
Completely and totally insane. If nothing else, don't you think a swarm of good journalists (which would not Lightweight Journalist Megyn Kelly) will audit this fundraiser with a fine-toothed comb? Like they did his FEC filing?
You know, I just had a couple of thoughts:
1) Do you realize what the general is going to be like? There will be libtards literally collapsing into epileptic fits in the streets. Talking heads losing it right on their TeeVee programs. Mass Trumphydrophobia. It's going to be EPIC.
2) Our good FRiends are toughening us all up for that, or training us to tune it out early on. Thanks, guys (and gals)!
See my post #85
Yep. And that was kind of my point. You cannot make those kind of decisions
with only two days notice. You need time to research the groups that have applied.
You gather the money. You park the money, then make the decisions
of who gets it.
You’re a nut. He give up a 100 million dollar a year TV show, entered the presidential race, arraigned a fight with Fox News, just so he could steal a couple of million dollar from veterans. As I said, you’re a nut.
Is this the crew?
Never in my life have I seen such insanity.
Jim, if what Rita has posted is true (and I haven't bothered to check out these clowns or their strange cult site, but the pattern is obvious), you are a far, far better man than I for putting up with it.
Trump claims he started his diploma mill/get-rich-quick scheme venture as a charity:
Look if Trump isn’t your guy that’s fine with me. But with the insults and school yard name calling, none of you people, fine conservatives all, will convince me to so much as listen to your arguments against Trump led alone drop my support of him. Good grief.
see post #19
Trump apparently already has a 501(c)(3) set up.
Spreading falsehoods about trump does not help cruz. You just cant get away with that nonsense anymore. Of all the trump bashers you are the lowest and most decietful. If cruz is your guy that’s fine. Try focusing on his positives because your current tactics are disgraceful.
Can’t stand Trump but don’t think this matters one way or the other. What bothers me is Trumps penchant to use first responders and vets as political cover. If he had done this at some other time I would have given him props.
His foundation gave $57,000 to veterans in five years—a little over $11,000 a year, none of it from Trump personally. Looks like he learned something from the Clinton Foundation.
?
Disgraceful and a complete turn off. Who wants to honestly discuss our candidate with the other side when all they’re interested in is name calling, deceitful smears, and insults.
There was a program on it. The only thing that was really questioned was existing funds that weren't being used "immediately".
IIRC, one of the dudes on apprentice designated his winnings to wounded warrior. I think he's the country singer ?? that does the commercials.
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