Trump Hasn't Put His Money Where His Mouth Is

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump always makes it a point — in whatever medium he happens to be entertaining at the time — to remind his audience that he has money, and a lot of it. "Seven billion f***ing dollars in the bank" to be exact, according to the Donald during his Comedy Central roast last year. But how much of it, if any, is Trump giving in personal charity donations?

Washington Post journalist David Fahrenthold is attempting to get to the bottom of that question by digging through hundreds of charities in search for evidence as to whether Trump has donated any money at all. According to the billionaire's tax records, he's given a grand total of $0 in personal donations to charities since 2008. That number is certainly at odds with the amount he claims he's given — last year alone, Trump said he was going to personally donate $1.1 million to charity, the combined royalties from two of his books.

Fahrenthold has called over 100 charities regarding his query so far (real-time updates are available through his live-tweeting). While some charities have received donations from Trump's foundation, as of Thursday evening, the journalist has only found one organization that has received a personal gift from Trump between 2009 and 2016. He notes, however, that the amount may actually reflect a book-keeping error.

In addition to calling charities, Fahrenthold has also asked those close to Trump if they had any suggestions on which charities to reach out to, including his daughter, son, and recently fired campaign manager Corey Lewandowski (so far, none have replied).

His uncharitable attitude doesn't stop with external organizations, however. Even the Trump Foundation itself has received little money throughout the years from its founder. According to a review conducted by BuzzFeed News, Trump has only given $3.7 million to his own organization throughout several decades. In comparison, professional wrestling company WWE donated $4 million after Trump promoted Wrestlemania.

Trump has also claimed to give millions to veterans, and even bowed out of a debate to hold a charity event for them — but there was speculation about the validity of that, too, and despite his claims, his foundations has given very little to veterans throughout the years.

Fahrenthold's inability to find any fully credible donations so far highlights an ongoing problem with Trump and the Trump campaign — a lot of promises, but short on delivery. It, of course, becomes even worse when dealing with charities, who often need donations like the ones Trump is promising to stay afloat.