A new report by The New York Times Friday afternoon is diving into President Donald J. Trump's hidden financial records that "cast doubt on a number of his charitable commitments and show that most of his giving came from land deals that offset his income."
Trump wrote in his book, Trump 101: The Way to Success, “If you don’t give back, you’re never ever going to be fulfilled in life," but his philanthropic endeavors do not seem to add up. According to his tax records, The New York Timesreported Friday that Trump has given back "at least $130 million since 2005, his second year as a reality TV star on NBC's The Apprentice. But of that amount, "the vast bulk of his charitable tax deductions, $119.3 million worth, came from simply agreeing not to develop land — in several cases, after he had shelved development plans."
Conservation easements made up three of the agreements, and the fourth was a deal wherein Trump donated property for a state park.
The Washington Post found that Trump he had "exaggerated, or simply never made, an array of claimed contributions," according to The Times. His own charitable foundation, the Trump Organization, shut down in 2018 "amid allegations of self-dealing to benefit Mr. Trump, his businesses and his campaign."
In response to questions from The Times, Amanda Miller, a spokeswoman for the Trump Organization, said, “President Trump gives money privately. It’s impossible to know how much he’s given over the years.”