The Best Part of Charitable Giving Is Telling Everyone About It
The best part of donating to charity is bragging about it. Rich, vainglorious celebrities and presidents make this clear.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer announced recently that President Trump was donating a quarter of his annual salary ($78,333) to the National Park Service and was “personally proud” to do so.
“The president just donated a significant amount of money of his salary back to the federal government,” Spicer said. “And so, respectfully, it’s like, at what point does he do enough? He just gave a very sizable donation.”
To ram home the point, Spicer, in full view of the White House press corps, handed an actual check for $78,333 to Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. “I am thrilled,” Zinke said unsarcastically.
The Center for Western Priorities, a conservation group, called the donation a “publicity stunt,” which it, like everything else Trump does, obviously was.
By donating money to the National Park Service, Trump is basically saying, “I love trees and hate money!” Which is inaccurate. But this deceit, unlike his others, has a monetary cost.
According to records obtained by USA Today, the government may spend the money to repair Civil War battlefields. “We’re about $100 or $229 million behind in deferred maintenance on our battlefields alone,” Zinke said. Trump’s check will cover less than one percent of the expense.
Sure, Trump’s donation, which he plans to deduct from his federal income taxes, is frivolous, but he had no choice. During the campaign, he vowed not to accept his presidential salary. “If I’m elected president, I’m accepting no salary,” he said. He’s keeping that promise—and publicizing it.
For Trump, charity is indistinguishable from self-promotion. It’s not just Trump. The rich and famous—and everyone else—like to flaunt their philanthropy as much as Anthony Weiner likes to flaunt his phallus, and for the same reason: It feels good.
In his book Think Big (no relation to Weiner), Trump confides, “I just gave almost five hundred acres to create a park in Westchester and Putnam counties in New York. I feel good about it. It’s the right thing to do. When you make a lot of money, you owe it to give back. It makes you feel good. It makes me feel good.”
Doing good makes other people feel good, too. Paris Hilton regularly donates her clothes to charity and regularly tweets about it. “At home going thru my closets, so I can donate my clothes to charity. Feels good to give back,” she tweeted, for free.
“Friday night in going through my closets pulling out clothes to donate to charity. Makes me feel happy,” she tweeted, pro bono, on another occasion.
Hilton and Trump are a lot a like. They both like to give to charity, and they both like to brag about it on Twitter.
Asked on Twitter how much money he gives to charity, Trump responded, “Lots!”
“I just sent @THEGaryBusey a check of $20,000 for his charity,” Trump boasted in 2013, under the mistaken belief that a transaction with Gary Busey was worth bragging about.
In December, Trump tweeted, “I gave millions of dollars to DJT Foundation, raised or recieved [sic] millions more, ALL of which is given to charity, and media won’t report!” Yes, but that’s only because misspelling the word “received” is a bigger story.
Nevertheless, Trump has the right idea: Before giving your money away, schedule a press conference. That’s what Chance the Rapper did in March, when he announced he was donating $1 million to Chicago Public Schools. “I’m proud to announce that I am donating,” he proudly announced.
Chance’s donation earned him praise from everyone with a heart and a Twitter account, including Michelle Obama, who tweeted, “Thanks @chancetherapper for giving back to the Chicago community, which gave us so much. You are an example of the power of arts education.” A million bucks is a small price to pay for this kind of adulation.
“Charity,” Oscar Wilde observed, “creates a multitude of sins.” One of them is pride, which is the only thing Trump can’t give away.
