Trump Foundation Apparently Closes, But Not So Fast…

Currently, under investigation by the New York Attorney General’s office, the President-elect Donald Trump has proposed the idea of closing down the Trump Foundation to avoid any possible conflicts of interest during his four-year tenure in the White House. During a statement this weekend, Trump said that he would terminate the Trump Foundation, a move that may placate those who thought that he was in it just to line his own pockets.

Trump might be speaking too soon – even though he might want to close the Trump Foundation, he cannot do so until the investigation by the attorney general is completed. Trump also said that he wanted to pursue philanthropy in other ways during his presidency. His foundation was supposedly made to support veterans, police officers, and children.

Trump has donated more money to maintain mansions than he did to support veteran causes. From 2012 and 2014, Trump and his foundation contributed $11,000 to organizations that support veterans. He donated almost $100,000 to Citizens United, an organization that enabled unions and corporations to spend an immense amount of money into the US election cycle, potentially influencing it.

Is The Trump Foundation Actually Closing?

Trump has already postponed a news conference to address how he will remove himself from his complex system of businesses and partnerships. Regarding the closure of the Trump Foundation, Trump is already facing a backlash. The announcement to dissolve his charity was met with a hesitant Democratic National Committee, with the establishment calling his move a “wilted fig leaf to cover up his remaining conflict of interests.”

Do you think the Trump Foundation helped aid Trump during his presidential campaign? If so, how?

Image via Flickr by Gage Skidmore under Creative Commons 2.0 License.

Core competencies are in business administration and urban development, but an avid political writer, activist, and radical centrist at night. Not politically correct, but not a degenerate. I write about things that interest me - hopefully, they'll interest you.