Trump donates $100,000 salary to restore monuments, Internet slams him for wasting '$140M of OUR money' on golf
President Donald Trump on Friday, August 14, announced that he is donating his entire salary for this financial quarter to the National Park Service. Trump said he was donating $100,000 from his $400,000 annual salary to help with the restoration process of America's national monuments. The National Park Service is an agency of the Federal government of the United States that manages all national parks, many national monuments and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations.
He announced the donation on Twitter along with an image of the $100,000 check in favor of the agency. "I promised YOU I would not take a dime of salary as your President," Trump wrote.
I promised YOU I would not take a dime of salary as your President. I donate the entire $400,000! It is my honor to give $100,000 to @NatlParkService to help repair and restore our GREAT National Monuments. So important to our American History! Thank You!! pic.twitter.com/4ETkUZ9yUf
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2020
"I donate the entire $400,000! It is my honor to give $100,000 to @NatlParkService to help repair and restore our GREAT National Monuments. So important to our American History! Thank You!!" he added. Trump is required to be paid the annual $400,000 a year as the president, however, he has pledged to donate his quarterly salary while he holds office towards worthy government causes.
According to Breitbart, in March and later in May this year, Trump donated his $100,000 quarterly salary to the Department of Health and Human Services to help fight the coronavirus and develop therapies. His latest donation to the National Park Service doesn't come as a surprise. Through the summer, national monuments were vandalized by American citizens as part of the Black Lives Matter revolution fueled by protests opposing police brutality after the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
In June, Trump signed an executive order that protects monuments and statues of the nation against vandalism which seemed to stem from anti-racist supporters uprooting or defacing statues of several colonialist leaders and leaders who promoted slavery. These anti-racist revolutions didn't stay contained in America but also spread across the globe. In different parts of the world including the UK and Ireland, it was reported that protestors defaced statues of known imperialists, including that of former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
In July, during a speech at Mount Rushmore, Trump spoke about the importance of protecting monuments. "Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children," Trump said in his address. "Those who seek to erase our heritage want Americans to forget our pride and our great dignity so that we can no longer understand ourselves or America's destiny," he added. "We will never let them rip America’s heroes from our monuments or from our hearts."
Trump's donation announcement on Twitter had over 56.7K comments and retweets and it seems like users were not impressed by this gesture. "1st, lets' see the CANCELLED check 2nd, let's remind the MAGAs that we've spent $131 million on golf trips to Trump's resorts, so much of that went into Trump's pocket $179k alone, was paid to Trump for this summer's golf carts in order to protect him," read a comment.
1st, let’s see the CANCELLED check
— Joe L Smith 🇺🇸👩❤️👨🏡🪂🍺🏝🏕 (@JoeLSmi02830645) August 14, 2020
2nd, let’s remind the MAGAs that we’ve spent $131 million on golf trips to Trump’s resorts, so much of that went into Trump’s pocket
$179k alone, was paid to Trump for this summer’s golf carts in order to protect him
"YOU have wasted $140M from OUR money on playing golf in YOUR properties," read another tweet.
YOU have wasted $140M from OUR money on playing golf in YOUR properties.
— Republicans for Joe Biden (@RepsForBiden) August 14, 2020
"Yet, each weekend at YOUR OWN properties cost us multiple millions, Mr 'I won't have time for vacation, golf, TV...'," read another tweet.
Yet, each weekend at YOUR OWN properties cost us multiple millions, Mr. "I won't have time for vacation, golf, TV..."
— Who?? (@whozzat7) August 15, 2020