We're republishing our finest work from the past decade. Here, a masterpiece of reporting that systemically demonstrates how Eric Trump, at the direction of his father, the future president, shifted money that was supposed to go to help kids with cancer to the Trump Organization.
As this decade ends, we’re republishing our best work from the past 10 years, a journey that reflectstwo-fold mission: chronicle entrepreneurial capitalism—shinning a light on the disruptors changing the world forever—and call out the rogues abusing the system.
That's not the case. In reviewing filings from the Eric Trump Foundation and other charities, it's clear that the course wasn't free—that the Trump Organization received payments for its use, part of more than $1.2 million that has no documented recipients past the Trump Organization. Golf charity experts say the listed expenses defy any reasonable cost justification for a one-day golf tournament.
Especially since the person who specifically commanded that the for-profit Trump Organization start billing hundreds of thousands of dollars to the nonprofit Eric Trump Foundation, according to two people directly involved, was none other than the current president of the United States, Donald Trump.
For the first four years of the golf tournament, from 2007 to 2010, the total expenses averaged about $50,000, according to the tax filings. Not quite the zero-cost advantage that a donor might expect given who owned the club but at least in line with what other charities pay to host outings at Trump courses, according to a review of ten tax filings for other charitable organizations.
It's also very consistent. The Donald J. Trump Foundation famously acted like an arm of the overall business, using the charity's money to settle a Trump business lawsuit, make a political donation and even purchase expensive portraits of its namesake. Meanwhile, Trump businesses billed the Trump campaign, fueled by small outside donors, more than $11 million to use his properties, chefs and private aircraft.
It's hard to find an explanation for this cost spike. Remember, all those base costs were supposedly free, according to Eric Trump. The golf course?"Always comped," he says. The merchandise for golfers:"The vast majority of it we got comped." Drinks:"Things like wine we were normally able to get donated." And the evening performances from musicians like Dee Snider of Twisted Sister and comedians like Gilbert Gottfried:"They did it for free.
For his part, Eric Trump offers no indication that the charity is paying for much beyond the day in Westchester."I'm sure if I hunted, I could find examples of expenses associated with the charity that aren't due to day-of activities," he says."But I would probably have to think pretty long and hard about that.
In 2013 and 2014, the Eric Trump Foundation paid $15,000 for tables at a gala for the Little Baby Face Foundation, according to a spokesman for the latter foundation. Over the next three years, Little Baby Face spent an estimated $100,000 to hold golf outings on the Trump course. The foundation denies any direct connection between the two transactions.
In 2012, the Eric Trump Foundation wrote a check for $25,000 to the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts. That same year, George Rodrigue, who had said that his famous"blue dog" paintings sometimes sold for about $25,000, created a portrait of Donald Trump for the auction at Eric's event. That portrait ended up hanging over the couch in Eric Trump's house, where he was photographed sitting beneath it two years later.
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