Let's Hear It For The Donald!

[Khandro]

He not only hates drug and alcohol abuse - and the reason with the former why he wants the wall to prevent drugs entering the US, but he is prepared to put his own money to help in this and other matters;
'During the 2016 presidential election, then-candidate Trump vowed to donate his annual salary of $400,000 if he were elected.
In 2017, the president donated his quarterly salaries to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, Department of Transportation, and the Education Department.'
Now it is going to help alcoholic abuse.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/01/26/donald-trump-donates-third-quarter-salary-to-alcoholism-research/

Has any other leader been so magnanimous ?

[rockyracoon]

Has any other leader been a multi millionaire and in a position to donate $400,000 a year?

[Kromovaracun]

If I remember right, Gorbachev donated his Nobel prize money back into the Soviet Union - he built a few hospitals with it.

If it's true, then good on him.

[Zacs-Master]

I imagine the death of a close relative due to alcohol abuse would drive a person to such measures.

[Rockrose]

Yes the man has enormous morals but tiny hands and low opinions of women

[naomi24]

Good for him.

[Khandro]

Rockrose; ^^ Your post; an oxymoron if ever there was one.

[Quizmonster]

Does any truly rational being seriously imagine that building a wall along part of a country’s borders will keep drugs out, especially one where a significant proportion of its inhabitants crave them? Walls are of no concern to planes and there is no plan to build one along the Canadian border, plus the USA has thousands of miles of coastline for boats to land.
The wall plan is idiotic.

[THECORBYLOON]

The latest design he posted is a tall steel fence made from slats. At this rate, they'll be reduced to planting jaggy nettles...

[Khandro]

Q.M. The flaws with your arguments are; Firstly, getting your drugs on to commercial planes, - who would risk that? - if you mean private planes, ALL American airspace is carefully monitored. Secondly, about the Canadian border; you first have to get the drugs into there, it's not like Mexico.
Thirdly, no one believes the wall, or any other single plan,
will keep out ALL drugs,
and fourthly, this thread isn't about the effectiveness of the wall.

[jim360]

I'd mentioned before that Trump donates his salary, which is a nice gesture and something he had promised to do before getting elected.

Sure you're not being a little OTT in your last line, though? I'm put in mind of the former Uruguayan president, Jose Mugica, who also donated most of his salary to charities -- a gesture that takes on even more significance when you also learn that the guy had virtually no private wealth and even refused to live in the presidential palace.

This isn't to one-up Trump either, but only to point out that, sheesh, you can legitimately credit him for a fine gesture without implying in the next breath that it is also close to the most generous such gesture in history.

[-Talbot-]

rockyracoon
Has any other leader been a multi millionaire and in a position to donate $400,000 a year?



Ask yourself how much a would-be president donate and then how much a former president could donate.

[Bazile]

With a country as wealthy as the USA
, Is there any need for a president to donate any or all of his salary ?

[LadyCG]

Very benevolent of him, I have to say.

[Khandro]

jim; What you say may well be true (I've never even heard of your Jose though) and I can also add Mahatma Ghandi, but they were not earning very much ( though I accept that they had little else) but the sheer amount he is donating over his full tenancy in office is by any standards, very generous and can make a real difference to some peoples lives.

[hereIam]

Yes, good for him.

[jim360]

Like I say, I don't mean to detract from Trump's charitable donation, but it does put me in mind rather of Jesus' lesson of the "Widow's mite", doesn't it -- at least, in terms of suggesting that few, if any, other leaders have been so magnanimous. That's my only point, really: Trump deserves credit for this, but not to the superlative extent of your final question!

[archibaldy]

It's actually quite common, Obama gave away over $1M during his presidency. Kennedy donated all of his salary to charity.

Not knocking the fact that Trump is donating some of his salary but it would make him an outlier if he didn't rather than special because he does.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2017/02/06/obama-donated-over-1-million-to-charity-as-president-heres-where-the-money-went/

https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/economy/meet-other-presidents-who-donated-their-salaries-to-charity-15137919

https://www.philanthropy.com/specialreport/how-u-s-presidents-give-to-ch/131

[Khandro]

On further research, I find that also George Washington refused the $25,000 allotted him by the first Congress (or he did initially, at least — some sources say he later used some of it for travel expenses), and Herbert Hoover (also one of the personally wealthiest of American presidents) “banked his presidential salary and gave it entirely to charity,” that is according to the biography provided by his presidential library.

jim; The bottom line of my OP is a question, not an assertion.

[johnny.5]

I suspect that a lot of people on here donate a much larger percentage of their income to worthy causes but do not get such accolade
and just how much of his own personal time has he donated to these worthy causes ?

[Khandro]

johnny.5 //I suspect that a lot of people on here donate a much larger percentage of their income to worthy causes but do not get such accolade
and just how much of his own personal time has he donated to these worthy causes ?//

Breitbart apart, the only 'accolade' he is getting is from me and those on this thread who have complimented him. Whether your maths is correct I don't know, but your attitude seems one of meanness.

Regarding his time, he is a busy man to say the least! but he has given comparatively much time and a lot of money to the Viet-Nam vets, which is one of his favourite interests and concerns, and among whom he is highly regarded.