A viral Facebook post accurately detailed 13 alleged acts of charity performed by Donald Trump before his presidency.
Out of the 13 charitable actions listed in the post, nine are verified as true, mostly true, or likely accurate.
Two of the listed claims are entirely false, and one lacks sufficient evidence. Additionally, one of the cited acts was actually executed by Lynne Patton, a former employee of the Eric Trump Foundation who later served in Trump’s presidential administrations.
In September 2026, a Facebook post (archived) gained traction online, cataloging 13 supposed “acts of kindness” executed by Donald Trump prior to his entry into politics.
The post’s opening statement claimed:
For thirty years before he ran for office, Donald Trump quietly paid mortgages, flew sick children across the country, and wrote checks to strangers who needed help. You will not find those stories on the evening news. So here they are.
Start with what people who knew him before politics say. He has never had a drink. He has never smoked. He has never used drugs. He built his business on long hours, and the people who worked for him will tell you he outworked all of them. Nobody called him a bigot until the day he announced for president. That timing tells you something about the accusation.
Now to the record.
Versions of this narrative spread widely across Facebook (archived, archived), X (archived), and Threads (archived), prompting readers to reach out to verify the accuracy of the list.
A thorough review reveals that of the 13 anecdotes shared, nine are factual or largely accurate, two are untrue, and one remains unproven. Furthermore, one of the good deeds credited directly to Trump was actually performed by Lynne Patton. Because the post combines verified historical events with debunked myths and unverified rumors, the overall claim is rated as a mixture.
Annabel Hill’s Farm: True
In 1986, a Georgia widow named Annabell Hill was about to lose the family farm at a foreclosure auction. Trump saw her story on the news, picked up the phone, called the auction, and stopped the sale. Then he sent her the money to keep the farm.
Historical archives confirm this event is authentic. Reports from the period show that after Hill’s husband tragically died by suicide to save the farm using life insurance, the funds proved insufficient, leaving the widow facing foreclosure. Trump intervened by contacting the bank to stall the auction and spearheaded a fundraising campaign, personally contributing at least $39,000 of the $170,000 required to save the property.
Private Jet for Andrew Ten: True
In 1988, an Orthodox Jewish family in Los Angeles had a three-year-old son named Andrew Ten who needed treatment in New York. The boy could not survive without a full life-support setup, and no airline would carry it. His father asked Trump for help. Trump put the family on his own jet and got them there.
This account is backed by a report from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in 1988, which documented the father’s appeal to Trump and the subsequent transport of the critically ill child on Trump’s private aircraft. (Later records noted that Ten sadly passed away in 1998, and his father faced unrelated legal troubles years later.)
Trump Sent a Plane for Marines: False
In 1991, two hundred Marines came home from Desert Storm to Camp Lejeune and found out the military had no aircraft to fly them the rest of the way to Florida. Trump’s airline, the Trump Shuttle, made two runs between North Carolina and Miami and got every one of them back to their families.
While military personnel did fly on aircraft bearing the Trump Shuttle logo following Operation Desert Storm, Trump no longer owned the airline at that time due to a loan default. The military independently chartered the planes, and Trump had no direct involvement in the arrangement.
Flat Tire and a Mortgage Payment: False
In 1995, a passing driver in New Jersey pulled over to help change a flat on Trump’s limo. Trump asked what he could do in return. The man only wanted flowers sent to his wife. A few weeks later, the story goes, the flowers came with a note saying the couple’s mortgage had been paid off.
This story is a long-standing urban legend that has circulated with various celebrities substituted into the narrative. Representatives for Trump explicitly dismissed the rumor as false when queried by the press in 1997.
Mar-a-Lago Opened to Black People and Jews: True
In 1996, Trump sued the town of Palm Beach, Florida. The town had been leaning on his Mar-a-Lago club for one reason. He let in Jewish members and Black members, and the older clubs did not. Abraham Foxman, who ran the Anti-Defamation League at the time, said Trump shined a light on the ugly side of Palm Beach…
Court and news records from the era confirm that Trump challenged Palm Beach’s restrictions after opening Mar-a-Lago to minority and Jewish members—a demographic previously excluded by several traditional local clubs. Abraham Foxman did indeed praise Trump for exposing exclusionary practices in the community, though local officials maintained the restrictions were standard zoning matters.
Financial Assistance for a Child with Brittle Bone Disease: True
In 2000, Trump was watching Maury Povich and saw a little girl named Megan who lived with brittle bone disease. He said her attitude got to him. He called the show and sent her family a large check.
Footage from a December 2000 episode of the “Maury” show confirms that an 11-year-old girl named Megan received a video message and a financial gift from Trump after he was moved by her appearance on the program.
Jennifer Hudson’s Free Hotel Stay: Likely True
In 2008, Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother, and nephew were murdered in Chicago. Trump moved Hudson and her family into his Chicago hotel at no charge and had his security team watch over them while they grieved.
Media reports from October and November 2008 corroborate that Hudson stayed at the Trump International Hotel & Tower following the family tragedy, and Trump publicly stated that he personally covered the expenses. Hudson has never disputed this account.
Reward Check for a Hero Bus Driver: True
In 2013, a Buffalo bus driver named Darnell Barton saw a woman standing at the edge of a bridge. He stopped the bus, walked over, put an arm around her, and talked her back to safety. Trump read about it and mailed Barton a check…
Following Barton’s courageous intervention to save a distressed woman, Trump publicly promised a $10,000 reward on social media. Local news coverage and photos from a November 2013 ceremony verify that Barton received the funds as promised.
Funds for an Imprisoned Marine: True
In 2014, Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi spent seven months in a Mexican prison after he took a wrong turn at the border with legally owned guns in his truck… Trump sent Tahmooressi a check for $25,000 to help him rebuild his life once he got home.
Following Tahmooressi’s release from a Mexican jail after mistakenly crossing the border with lawfully owned firearms, Trump pledged $25,000 via social media in November 2014 to assist the veteran, a promise he fulfilled the following day with a supportive letter.
College Tuition Assistance for a Beauty Queen’s Son: True
In 2016, Melissa Young stood at a Trump rally in Wisconsin and cried while she thanked him… She said the doors Trump opened for her ended up giving her Mexican-American son a full ride to college.
During a 2016 campaign rally, Young—a former Miss Wisconsin USA suffering from an incurable illness—publicly thanked Trump for his support during her hospitalization and credited initiatives connected to his pageant and crowdfunding ventures with helping secure educational support for her son.
Lynne Patton’s Defense of Trump: True
That same year, Lynne Patton, a Black executive at the Trump Organization, put out a video answering the people calling her boss a racist. She admitted she had fought addiction for years. She said the Trump family never pushed her out. They stood by her the whole way.
Patton spoke prominently at the 2016 Republican National Convention and featured in a video defending Trump against accusations of racism, praising the family’s compassion. Her later media appearances openly discussed how the Trump family supported her through her personal battle with addiction. She later served in official capacities in both of Trump’s presidential administrations.
Cancer Treatment Support for a Volunteer’s Father: Mostly True
Also in 2016, a young Illinois volunteer named Shane Bouvet told reporters that Trump had stepped in to cover his father’s cancer treatment. His father, Donald Bouvet, beat the cancer. Trump has stayed in touch with the family ever since.
Public records show Trump met with campaign volunteer Shane Bouvet and his ailing father in February 2018. Trump explained that he had initially gifted Shane $10,000 for personal use, but the young man courageously chose to use the entire amount to fund successful cancer treatments for his father.
Loans to Black Entrepreneurs: Unproven
And there is a story that has floated around New York business circles for years. A Black business owner could not get a loan anywhere in the city. Someone told him to go see Trump. Trump lent him the money and told him to pay it back when he could…
This claim stems primarily from anecdotal remarks made by former TV judge Joe Brown on a 2019 podcast, where he recounted hearing similar second-hand stories from entrepreneurs in the late 1980s and ’90s. No documentation or direct confirmation from individuals receiving such loans has ever surfaced, leaving the rumor unproven.