President Trump offered the father of a fallen U.S. soldier $25,000 in a condolence call and and said he would establish an online fundraiser for the family, but never followed through, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. Chris Baldridge, the father of the late Army Cpl. Dillon Baldridge, 22, said the offer came after he told the president about his financial difficulties while his son’s ex-wife, who is listed as the beneficiary, was expected to receive the Pentagon’s $100,000 death gratuity. Despite Trump’s promises, Baldridge only received a condolence letter in the mail. “I opened it up and read it, and I was hoping to see a check in there, to be honest,” he said. “I know it was kind of far-fetched thinking. But I was like, ‘Damn, no check.’ Just a letter saying ‘I’m sorry.’” Baldridge also said the president told him, “No other president has ever done something like this. I’m going to do it.” In a statement, following the Post’s report, the White House said: “The check has been sent. It’s disgusting that the media is taking something that should be recognized as a generous and sincere gesture, made privately by the president, and using it to advance the media’s biased agenda.”
Read it at The Washington Post
