United States President Donald Trump said on Thursday, October 23, that he donates a significant portion of his salary to the White House, noting that he often directs funds there because the residence had been somewhat neglected in the past four years when Joe Biden was at the helm.
“I give a lot of money to the White House… I give my salary, and I usually like to steer it to the White House because this was a little bit abandoned. This house was not taken care of the way it was supposed to be and I take very good care of it,” Donald Trump said.
The US President added that his efforts have helped the White House “start to gleam like it should.”
‘$130 mn donation for troops’ salaries’: Trump
Donald Trump announced on Thursday, October 23, that a wealthy private donor has contributed $130 million to the US government to cover military salaries amid the ongoing government shutdown which has halted paychecks of hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
Speaking at a White House event, Donald Trump said the donor – whom he called a friend – called the White House personally to make the offer. Donald Trump has, however, declined to identify the donor.
Speaking on the government shutdown, Donald Trump said that he received a check for $130 million to pay salaries of military troops. “Received check for $130 mn from private donor for any military salary shortfall,” he said.
He had earlier directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to “use all available funds” to ensure the United States troops are paid. Citing his authority as Commander in Chief, Donald Trump stated that the necessary funds have been identified and will be released for payment to the troops.
Nonessential government operations came to a halt after the September 30 funding deadline, as Senate Democrats repeatedly blocked a Republican-led resolution to reopen federal agencies.
The sticking point has been a refusal by Republicans to include language in the bill to address expiring subsidies that make health insurance affordable for 24 million Americans.
Meanwhile, as the US government shutdown continues, some US states including Minnesota, California, Pennsylvania and Texas this week warned food aid recipients that their benefits may not be distributed in November if the federal government shutdown stretches further due to lack of funding.
