Trump claims he donates a large portion of his salary to the White House: 'I give a lot...'

United States President Donald Trump said on Thursday, October 23, that he is donating a significant portion of his salary to the White House, noting that he often directs funds there because the residence has been somewhat neglected over the past four years when Joe Biden was at the helm. “I give a lot of money to the White House … I give my paycheck, and I usually like to send it to the White House because it’s been a little run down. This house hasn’t been taken care of the way it’s 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 begin to shine as it should. ‘$130 million donation for troop 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 that has stopped the paychecks of hundreds of thousands of federal workers. Speaking at a White House event, Donald Trump said the donor – whom he called a friend – had personally called the White House to make the offer. However, Donald Trump refused to identify the donor. Speaking about the government shutdown, Donald Trump said he had received a $130 million check to pay salaries of military troops. “Received check for $130 million from private donor for any military salary shortfall,” he said. He had earlier instructed the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to “use all available funds” to ensure that the American troops were paid. Citing his authority as commander in chief, Donald Trump said the necessary funds had been identified and would be released for payment to the troops. Non-essential government operations ground to a halt after the Sept. 30 funding deadline as Senate Democrats repeatedly blocked a Republican-led resolution to reopen federal agencies. The sticking point was a refusal by Republicans to include language in the bill to address 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, warned food aid recipients this week that their benefits may not be distributed in November if the federal government shutdown extends further, due to a lack of funding.