The campaign for presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump announced Friday that he raised less than the $6 million he claimed he raised for veterans after he skipped the last Republican debate before the Iowa caucuses.
Campaign manager Corey Lewandowski acknowledged to the Washington Post that the campaign only raised $4.5 million in total — 25 percent less than the originally-stated figure — with him blaming large donors who said they would contribute, but did not when push came to shove.
“There were some individuals who he’d spoken to, who were going to write large checks, [who] for whatever reason . . . didn’t do it,” Lewandowski said. “I can’t tell you who.”
Lewandowski also told the Post’s David Fahrenthold that he wasn’t sure if Trump’s $1 million pledge was counted among the $4.5 million. He also said that he wasn’t sure how much of it had been spent overall.
Trump announced the fundraiser to support veterans after he announced he would be skipping the Fox News debate in Des Moines only days before the Iowa caucuses. His skipping of the debate may have helped deliver the state to Sen. Ted Cruz, who topped Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio by three and four percentage points, respectively.
At the event, the real estate tycoon was joined on stage by multiple veterans, as well as fellow presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum.
In days following the announcement, Trump handed out checks to various groups before the caucuses, with the first of which $100,000 to the Puppy Jake Foundation during an event in Davenport, Iowa.
Twenty-two veterans charities have reportedly received donations stemming from Trump’s fundraiser. However, questions surround whether Trump actually gave the $1 million he promised. Seven of nine big donors donated to the fund, with those (as well as small-dollar donations) totaling $4.45 million.
