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The Charitable Donald J. Trump Foundation Was Investigated For Legal & Ethical Violations

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Trump founded the Donald J. Trump Foundation in 1988 with the aim of donating proceeds from his book, Trump: The Art of the Deal (co-written with Tony Schwartz). Money for the foundation came mostly from donors; Trump has not contributed to the organization since 2008.

After Trump appeared at WrestleMania in 2007, he received $5 million for the foundation from Linda and Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment. The foundation has donated to sports-related charities, healthcare, and conservative groups. It was investigated in 2016 for legal and ethical violations and told to stop its fundraising activities in New York state.