
Articles like the one published in the Post generally are released on a Friday afternoon before a long weekend since it does not give the object of the article a good and quick chance to counter it. And that's what the Post did. After all, readers will see the base story but won't be paying attention to the response while occupied with fun time leisure activities on their holiday . So Trump wisely "held his fire" until the first of the new work week which was yesterday. And yesterday he effectively unleashed his response as only he can, demolishing the story and in so doing accusing the media of sleazy malfeasance of their duty.
Coming before the microphones at his flagship building in New York, The Donald explained the process by which charities are evaluated prior to release of money to them. Principal to his statement was the concept of vetting, for each request for funds requires close review to make sure that the organization is both viable in its need and also standing for what it claims. This takes time prior to distribution and was meticulously carried out, resulting in the identification of forty two valid choices selected and a determination for how much would be rewarded to each.
The only slightly accurate point in the Post article was the statement that Trump's six million dollar payout claim was really only five million six hundred thousand dollars, yet money is still coming in. In fact, Trump himself added one million dollars to the purse and all overhead and administrative costs were assumed by the Trump organization, meaning that the total amount of money generated went to the cause.
After listing the recipients by name and award amount, The Donald then expressed his displeasure with the shoddy performance by the media and said they should be ashamed of themselves, after which he opened the event for questioning, answering all comers. When asked by one member of the press if his dress down of the press was something they could expect from an official Trump presidential news conference, he simply stated "yep", and moved on to the next question.
Good for you, Donald, good for you. Trump has his own playbook, something the likes of which the media has not previously seen and America responds favorably to it. Keep 'em on their toes, Donald, and never surrender. It's time to make the media do the job of real journalism, not just serve as a mouthpiece for their own bias. It's time for a return of the "Fourth Estate".