Donald Trump Had Paid More Than $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation Which He Was Not ‘Paying to Play'

Not many know but there was a time when former President Donald Trump donated wholeheartedly for Hillary Clinton's campaign. According to Politico, the former Democratic frontrunner for presidential elections had received donations from both Trump and his son Don Trump Jr. The federal disclosure records mention that in the years 2002, 2005, 2006, and 2007, the Clinton Foundation was the recipient of huge donations of up to $100,000. 

It's hard to believe that Donald Trump paid more than $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation which he once referred to as “the most corrupt enterprise in political history." Furthermore, although Trump claimed that donors gave to gain illegal access to the former Secretary of State, Kellyanne Conway, his campaign manager, argued that this was not his goal. When CNN's Anderson Cooper questioned her, "Was your candidate donating that money so that he could have access to Hillary Clinton whenever he wanted?" Conway said, “No, it seems like he had access to her anytime he wanted. She went to his wedding,” adding, “No, he was not paying to play.”

During an interview with Sean Hannity, the Republican defended his previous donations to the Democrats. "So, what am I going to do, contribute to Republicans? Am I going to contribute to, I mean, one thing I’m not stupid. Am I going to contribute to a Republican for my whole life when they get, they run against some Democrat? And the most they can get is one percent of the vote," Trump said. Adding on he told Hannity, "I mean, I’ve contributed to Schumer, I contribute — I’ve known Schumer for many, many years. And I have a good relationship with him. The fact is, that I think it is time maybe that we all do get along." Interestingly, while Trump donated hefty amounts for the Democrats he only donated $1,000 for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Trump accused that donors would generally pay to get access to the Clintons for personal reasons. He also claimed that foreign governments and businessmen had ulterior motives and weren't genuinely supporting the Clinton Foundation. When Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway was questioned if the businessman-turned-politician did the same she refuted the claims.

Back in 2016, CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked Conway, "Was your candidate donating that money so that he could have access to Hillary Clinton whenever he wanted." Conway replied, "No, it seems like he had access to her anytime he wanted. She went to his wedding. No, he was not paying to play," as reported by CNN. Justifying Trump's donations, Conway said, "The Clinton Foundation does a lot of good work and I also want to say that for the record that they do. They do good work. And let’s hope that that money went to good use."