Melania Trump, the former First Lady of the United States, has issued a statement concerning the rejection of her charity donation for an unnamed technology school in Oklahoma to help provide scholarships for the children.
In a statement released on her official site, Trump said that the school initially agreed to work with "Fostering Future," her new initiative. However, despite indicating that her donation for scholarship should be an anonymous gift, the school decided not to pursue the agreement.
This has prompted Trump to conclude that the school's Board of Directors made a "politically-motivated" decision. She stated that she was not surprised by what happened, but she was disappointed that politics ruined another mission to help children.
A Narrative Destroying the Children's Dreams
The former first lady also indicated that this had happened before. In 2018, Trump said she also had plans to conduct philanthropic activities for kids in Africa. However, her corporate partners pulled out of the agreement because the American media has created a "narrative" that she works without ethics.
Trump said that the false narrative had affected her charities for kids. She said that those who take politics over her philanthropic efforts are not canceling her but the children whose dreams have been shattered because they have lost the opportunities her charity could have funded.
However, the New York Times was able to figure out that the school in question was Holberton School, which has backers from Silicon Valley and over 30 establishments across the world. Holberton School centers on computer science training. Chief Executive Julien Barbier confirmed with the Times that Trump's team did approach them for the scholarship, but no agreement was reached despite the former first lady stating she signed a Designated Fund Agreement.
The news outlet also reported that the Consumer Services Division in Florida is launching an investigation into Trump's new initiative. Details revealed the charity may not be registered to solicit money and could violate Chapter 496 of the Florida Statutes. In April 2022, Fostering Futures will mount an exclusive high tea fundraiser in Naples, Florida, for computer science scholarships. Ticket sales for the event cost $30,000 to $50,000.
Following the Times report, Trump posted on Twitter that her charity's paperwork is in order and in partnership with Bradley Impact Fund.
Dishonest reporting at it again. Everything has been done lawfully, & all documents are in the works. Read with caution-typical corrupt media.
— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) February 12, 2022
We are working w/Bradley Impact Fund, a Donor-Advised Fund, to select charities that will receive the donations to foster children. https://t.co/5ZKr5SwIZz
Trump Auctions Hats for Charity
In January 2022, Trump participated in an online auction to sell three hat pieces for the "Head of State Collection," whose proceeds will partially go to charity. The hat auction had an estimated value of $250,000, but bidders could only pay through an SOL cryptocurrency.
Two weeks into the auction and the value of the cryptocurrency dropped; thus, the value of the hats was also reduced to $93 on the auction's last day. However, a spokesperson for Trump said the level of interest for the hats was high and that successful bids went through the auction with the parties closing the sale at midnight.
The former first lady said that the proceeds would help foster care communities have access to computer science and technology education. The exact amount of the proceeds was not revealed.
