Donald Trump may just have alienated yet another group of potential voters, and this group could wind up costing him more than just the election.
Trump just loves to claim that he loves, honors, and supports American veterans. And yet he also claims to have raised $6 million for veterans’ groups at a January event. Turns out, however, as the Washington Post reported this week, the amount was actually only $4.5 million. So the Trump campaign decided to blame others. Campaign manager Corey Lewandowski commented:
“There were some individuals who he’d spoken to, who were going to write large checks, [who] for whatever reason . . . didn’t do it. I can’t tell you who.”
And now, as a result of Trump’s lies, VoteVets, which describes itself as the largest progressive veterans group in America, is calling the Donald a “cheap fraud.”
In a press release, VoteVets chairman Jon Soltz blasted Trump:
“Donald Trump is a cheap fraud. In a classic fraud move, made himself look good to the public, by lying to the American people, and veterans, about how much he raised for veterans’ groups, when he hid behind them to get out of the GOP debate.”
Soltz also noted:
“We now need to presume that he is lying about how much he claims he has given to veterans over the years, and that’s part of the reason he won’t release his taxes. Releasing them would likely show that he’s not given as much to veterans’ groups over the years as he claims – if he’s even given to them at all. Another lie and another fraud.”
There is only one way Trump can even hope to try and repair the rift he has caused with veterans, Soltz said:
“Donald Trump promised $6 million to veterans. Now he needs to deliver, by personally forking over the millions of dollars he said he raised, but didn’t. It won’t make up for his lies, but may make him think twice about letting his mouth write checks that no one can cash.”
Fraud, con man, huckster, carnival barker. No matter what name you apply, all of them perfectly describe Donald Trump.
This article was originally published by the same author at LiberalAmerica.org.