

To view the full article, please visit ABC News’ website.Įxcerpt taken from the article “Trump Plan to Donate Hotel Profits Doesn't Erase Ethics Concerns: Experts” by Meghan Keneally for ABC News. While Sanderson said the president-elect “could have done much more here to address his conflicts of interest,” the decision to donate hotel profits earned from foreign governments was a good move.ĭuring his news conference Wednesday, he said he will be taking steps to separate himself from his namesake brand but not shutting down any business operations, meaning that people - including representatives from foreign governments or Americans trying to curry favor with the president - could still stay at his hotels. Sanderson, a member in the political law and exempt organizations practice groups of Caplin & Drysdale, said that it was unrealistic to expect Trump to totally divest from his company. and several hotels and licensed hotel deals abroad. The president-elect has at least nine hotels in the U.S.

I can’t afford to pay all that damn money.Some ethics experts take issue with Donald Trump's claim that he will donate any profits his company reaps from foreign government officials staying in his hotels during his presidential term to the U.S. It recurred seven times for a total of almost $8,000, the Times said.Ĭalling the Trump campaign and the RNC “bandits”, Amelino told the paper: “I’m retired. Victor Amelino, a 78-year-old from California, donated $990 in September. It also detailed distressing experiences affecting Trump donors hit by surprise deductions and consequent trouble with banks and credit card companies. The Times reported that the practice was used for the Georgia Senate runoffs in January and continues to be used by the Republican party. Jason Miller, a Trump spokesman, told the Times: “Our campaign was built by the hardworking men and women of America and cherishing their investments was paramount to anything else we did.” “In effect,” the Times wrote, “the money that Mr Trump eventually had to refund amounted to an interest-free loan from unwitting supporters at the most important juncture of the 2020 race.” The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee made more than 530,000 refunds, returning $64.3m. The paper said that at the end of 2020, after Trump’s defeat, the Biden campaign and Democratic bodies made 37,000 online refunds worth $5.6m. The Republican WinRed operation was conceived as a response to ActBlue, an online fundraising platform set up by Democrats to attract small-dollar donations.Īs the Times reported, refunds to donors are not unusual and can be made when individuals give more than the legal limit. House Committee Can Get Trump Tax Returns 'The 2021 Request seeks information that may inform the United States House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means as to the efficacy. He continues to seek donations, leading to friction with the party he dominates.
#Trump donate us treasury free
It was not, as a succession of court cases concluded.Īfter escaping conviction in his second impeachment trial, for inciting the Capitol riot of 6 January, the former president is free to run for office again. Trump still claims his defeat was caused by massive electoral fraud.

He was then able to use tens of millions of dollars he raised after the election, under the guise of fighting his unfounded fraud claims, to help cover the refunds he owed.” He also lost the popular vote by more than 7m ballots.īut, the Times said, “the recurring donations swelled Mr Trump’s treasury in September and October, just as his finances were deteriorating. The “money bomb” did not bring victory, as Trump lost the electoral college by 306 votes to 232. It is legal, but Ira Rheingold, executive director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, told the paper it was “unfair, unethical and inappropriate”.Īnother expert quoted by the Times said such “dark pattern” digital marketing “should be in textbooks of what you shouldn’t do” in politics. The practice, pursued by the campaign and WinRed, a for-profit company, was detailed in an extensive report by the New York Times on Saturday.
