Donald Trump is now the meanest billionaire in creation - that’s official -- Contrast with the most generous, Irish American Chuck Feeney, never greater
By: Niall O'Dowd | Published Sunday, December 30, 2012, 8:03 AM | Updated Sunday, December 30, 2012, 8:03 AM
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| Donald Trump |
Donald Trump is the meanest billionaire in creation and it is now official says New York Times columnist Nick Kristoff in his recent column.
Kristoff names CNN founder Ted Turner as the most generous because of his $1 billion gift to the United Nations 15 years ago but he’s wrong there.
All available evidence is that it is Irish American Chuck Feeney who began the ‘Giving While Living’ trend now embraced by Bill Gates and Warren Buffet among others.
Kristoff says Turner was the inspiration for giving while living but it was Feeney, a man I have known well for over 25 years now because of his involvement in Ireland, who led the way.
As Forbes magazine recently noted “Chuck Feeney is the James Bond of philanthropy. Over the last 30 years he’s crisscrossed the globe conducting a clandestine operation to give away a $7.5 billion fortune ....His foundation, the Atlantic Philanthropies, has funneled $6.2 billion into education, science, health care, aging and civil rights in the U.S., Australia, Vietnam, Bermuda, South Africa and Ireland.
"Few living people have given away more, and no one at his wealth level has ever given their fortune away so completely during their lifetime. The remaining $1.3 billion will be spent by 2016, and the foundation will be shuttered in 2020. While the business world’s titans obsess over piling up as many riches as possible, Feeney is working double time to die broke.”
Meanwhile an investigation by The Smoking Gun website revealed Donald Trump as the meanest of all the billionaires.
He says he is worth $7 billion and he has given away all of $3.7 million in that time the Smoking Gun folks found.
“From 1990 through 2009, Trump has personally donated a total of just $3.7 million to his foundation, which was incorporated in 1987. In fact, the billionaire is not even the largest contributor to his own charitable organization.”
He has given away less about $200,000 a year during that time.
Putting it in context Michael Bloomberg gave away $235 million last year alone. Chuck Feeney is giving that much away before breakfast -- every day, every year.
I remember asking Feeney about Trump and receiving a highly uncomplimentary answer. Seems he had reached out to him once on a non-profit housing venture in one off New York’s toughest neighborhoods but the Donald was not interested,
Of course not.
Jim Dwyer of The New York Times wrote memorably that "Chuck Feeney was what Donald Trump would be if he led his life backward."
As we face a new year the two men represent different visions of the American dream.
One is a chest thumping, look at me Scrooge, the other, embodies the incredibly generous philanthropic soul of this country that is the envy of every other democracy.
I have no doubt whose side we should all come down on.
36 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.patto69 | Jan 02, 2013, 08:08 AM EST
It must be troubling for Trump that despite his untold millions he still has the most ridiculous comb over in the USA. You are baldy fella, accept it and move on.
seanomelb | Jan 01, 2013, 04:23 PM EST
No chance Smyrnian!! Dissenting views are a healthy part of democracy. Just call me Mr. Cool.
Smyrnian | Jan 01, 2013, 11:25 AM EST
Sean - take it easy, man. You are going to give yourself a stroke. I realize dissenting views upset you greatly but you need to calm down and try to be cool.
seanomelb | Dec 31, 2012, 08:22 PM EST
I wonder how Donalds birther campaign is going?? Judy!! Well I suppose he can rely on you and smyrnian for support and from teaparty dopes
irishpjk | Dec 31, 2012, 07:24 PM EST
wtc. It’s a shame that so many people read something and accept it as fact, that’s one of the reasons why we are in the state we are. I know of a few very generous people that will never be mentioned in many of the rags around that call themselves newspapers. There are also a few who do charitable giving without showing of, actually I think the most generous ones are the ones who do it without bragging, their reward is doing good for others.
Smyrnian | Dec 31, 2012, 06:55 PM EST
JudySinger - very well said indeed! Thank you!
JudyStinger | Dec 31, 2012, 12:47 PM EST
The NY Times is on a downhill slide because of their way left opinions and anyone writing representing them has no credibility. The do an all out hate campaign for anyone who disagrees with them, politicians that they support, celebrities and whomever speaks their minds. Like him or not, Donald Trump calls things as he sees them and usually is right. One wonders why Nick Kristoff didn't do his research on our President and Vice President. Although the Obamas did give to charity it was nothing spectacular based on the fact they are millionaires. Joe Biden, our Vice President, gave around 1% of his salary/investments to charity--pretty cheap for sure. Wonder why Mr. Kristoff chose to ignore that fact and instead attack Donald Trump. This is the nonsense that we, who are concerned about our country's downhill spiral, are tired of. Instead of Mr. Kristoff doing some real journalism, an obvious thing of the past with the NY Times, he chooses to sling mud.
McNamara31 | Dec 31, 2012, 11:38 AM EST
@Fran Connor...Next to nothing? In 2010, the president’s taxable income was a little over $1.7 million, much of it from book sales. Line 19 of his itemized deductions shows that he gave $245,075 in gifts to charity.That would be a rate of more than 14 percent.In 2009, the president’s taxable income was about $5.5 million. He listed $329,100 in charitable contributions on his tax return and also directed the Nobel Prize Committee to give his $1.4 million prize directly to 10 charities (which meant he could not take a tax deduction for donating the prize).In the years prior to his election even though he was paying off college debt he also made contributions.2005: $77,315 to charity out of income of $1.66 million (4.6 percent)2004: $2,500 out of $207,647 (1.2 percent)2003: $3,400 out of $238,327 (1.4 percent)2002: $1,050 out of $259,394 (0.4 percent)Fran you have to stop listening to Huckabee. There's nothing worse than a preacher with a folk tongue.
Fran Connor | Dec 31, 2012, 10:11 AM EST
Hey Niall, why don't you report what our illustrious president and VP gave BEFORE they became national figures? I'll answer for you - it doesn't fit your agenda. They both gave NEXT TO NOTHING!
Smyrnian | Dec 31, 2012, 05:08 AM EST
Well, if the NY Times says so it must be true. Yeah, right. Garbage source.
stanJames | Dec 31, 2012, 12:01 AM EST
I know some people will be upset on this one but Trump is one of the reasons I became a democrat. Thanks to IC for pointng out he's one of the types in modern times who in past ages resulted in a nursery rhym that went:..........The king is in his counting house, counting all his money. ( I forget the rest)
aloistmartin | Dec 30, 2012, 07:51 PM EST
Donald Trump is as Senseless as a rabid Hedgehog !
Ken from Dublin | Dec 30, 2012, 06:35 PM EST
Timothy L. O'Brien wrote in his 2005 book, "TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald," that the developer was probably worth $150 to $250 million, rather than the typical estimates of $2 to $3 billion. Trump sued O'Brien for libel, claiming that the book's lower figure killed some potential deals and damaged his reputation. The case was dismissed. Hi TRUE wealth if O'Brien's speculation is true is probably the real reason for his stingy contributions to charity, not that I'm inferring he would donate much more anyway if he was a true billionaire.
branagh | Dec 30, 2012, 06:26 PM EST
Chuck Feeney is exemplary but unfortunately what seems to his last major "philanthropic" endeavour, ie., the TECHNION CORNELL campus on Roosevelt Island is misquided. TECHNION is at the summit of the military industrial complex in Israel, the same apparatus that killed 800 children in Gaza in the last two major IDF blitzes on that Paletinian concentration camp. Besides,although located where they constitute about 50% of the population Arab students have been systematically excluded from sciences such as physics and mechanical engineering which might have military applications - I suppose you can say this extreme racial profiling is a national security issue for Israel but it's a poor rationale for Mr Feeney to give international credence or imprimatur to this policy by his hefty contribution.
seanomelb | Dec 30, 2012, 04:43 PM EST
respectfully attacks Turners generosity and by inference supports trup the frump.
Proud Canadian2 | Dec 30, 2012, 04:11 PM EST
Trump isn't only the meanest but the stupidest billionare, if he really is a billionare. His tyrades against Obama were moronic.
McNamara31 | Dec 30, 2012, 04:11 PM EST
I guess Mr. Trump never learned: "From those to whom much is given, much is expected" Trump remains a self indulgent ego maniac who thinks nothing of slandering those in his wake only to gain attention for his imbecilic reality shows. And to think all the GOP primary contenders made trips to New York to hover at his feet tells you the true essence of GOP values today.
handsome68 | Dec 30, 2012, 03:49 PM EST
A comment re: Respectfully's comment. You made one mistake, small to some, big to others: Turner apparently gave one billion, not one million, as you wrote. I agree with all the rest that you wrote.
jacersagain | Dec 30, 2012, 03:04 PM EST
It doesn’t surprise me that Trump has been labelled the meanest. After all, doesn’t his mother come from the Scottish Presbyterian stock of the Western Isles? The money-eyed Scottish Govt recently over-rode objections by local people in Aberdeenshire to Trump’s plans to build a golf course on a Site of Special Scientific Interest because it would bring “wealth” and that the special scientific interest could be let go. The Scottish people’s reputation for financial frugality and meanness was the reason that the old British “three penny” bit and the present 50 pence coins were made with hexagonal shapes - so that you could take them from a Scotsman’s hand with a wrench tool. You'd have to wait for billion-dollar hexagonal coins before you'd get anything from The Donald.
The Commentator | Dec 30, 2012, 02:38 PM EST
Trump the Chump is not only cheap, he is so vain he he refused to cut his hair when Mark Cuban offered to donate one million dollars to a charity of Trumps' choice if he did. What a poor excuse for a human being !!!
slainte9 | Dec 30, 2012, 01:20 PM EST
Is Trump a billionaire. How do you flirt and go into bankruptcy more than once and get to call yourself a billionaire. He's just full-of-hot-aire.
seamus60 | Dec 30, 2012, 01:08 PM EST
"You have been Trumped " is a good watch. How he shafts the ordinary scots with the help of unscrupulous Irish.
donal1951 | Dec 30, 2012, 12:49 PM EST
Another generous Irishman was the late Thomas Flatley, who emigrated from County Mayo to Boston and made millions in real estate. He also was a very decent and unassuming man I had the pleasure to meet several times.
JimmieM | Dec 30, 2012, 12:21 PM EST
I think the Donald is...give a man a job and let him earn a fish...rather than here you little pissant I will give you a fish because I am So Great and wonderful kind of guy, your call I guess which is "kind"
JimmieM | Dec 30, 2012, 12:10 PM EST
Trump has been bankrupt and is reputedly worth on a good day in the very low hundreds of millions.He's all blow.
Respectfully | Dec 30, 2012, 12:00 PM EST
What percentage of your income, Niall O’Dowd, have you donated for any reason? And by the way, nice to know Ted Turner wasted a $1-million donation to the useless/corrupt United Nations! No doubt the only ones the money benefited was the UN Ambassadors themselves.
MichaelMcGrath | Dec 30, 2012, 11:50 AM EST
I would be concerned about reports that Chuck Feeney is financing abortion for Ireland, that he has also been financing the mass immigration into Ireland lobby to the detriment of the Irish native worker and the expense of the Irish Health, Education and Welfare services, and that his money found its way to Noraid and thus IRA-Sinn Fein. If so this is usurping Irish democracy with money.
bob mcbride | Dec 30, 2012, 11:10 AM EST
Donald Trump may not be as rich as you think? He has a good line of credit with wall street bankers, who have already ripped off american taxpayers. Please print the facts he is a puppett for JP Morgan,citi group,meriil Lynch,stearns, etc. Its too bad JP wasn't on the titanic!
LasVegasRocks | Dec 30, 2012, 10:40 AM EST
like2tweet "the donald shud play scrooge next year" No need to "play" when one is.
brinniewales | Dec 30, 2012, 10:34 AM EST
Almost goes without saying, Mr. Trump isn't even Irish...
like2tweet | Dec 30, 2012, 10:15 AM EST
the donald shud play scrooge next year
patrickesq | Dec 30, 2012, 10:01 AM EST
Do not forget the Donald attaches conditions his modest gifts, like the offer he made to President Obama to reveal his personal records.
handsome68 | Dec 30, 2012, 09:56 AM EST
I'm with wjb1tex on this one. Let's ask Mr. O'Dowd to give us thorough review of his own charitable contributions. And just because The Donald appears stingy doesn't mean that he really is, and the same goes for Ted Turner's appearance of being generous. Charity begins at home, for one thing...I'm home, gentlemen, why not give some of that money to me?
antoman | Dec 30, 2012, 09:55 AM EST
Occasionally I will send a package to America to people over there I've met on the net. The last package just before Christmas to a Vietnam vetern consisting of Clonakilty black and white pudding. Why? Simple, I feel good for doing so.
Niall O'Dowd | Dec 30, 2012, 09:37 AM EST
I'm right up there with Warren Buffett minus 10 zeros or so
wjb1tex | Dec 30, 2012, 09:33 AM EST
Perhaps to put this all in perspective we should have an investigation of Niall and see how he matches up to others in the same tax bracket.