A January fundraiser that Donald Trump orchestrated for veterans did not raise the $6 million Trump claimed at the time. Trump likely won’t take a political hit for his faulty estimation however; Trump supporters already give the candidate plenty of leeway with veracity and they expect a level of exaggeration in all his claims. It’s understood, in other words, that Trump regularly practices what the legal world defines as “puffery” — “a promotional statement or claim that expresses subjective rather than objective views, which no reasonable person would take literally.”
Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski told CNN on Friday that the $6 million figure Trump cited, which included $1 million of his own money, was inaccurate. Lewandowski also said a separate report that the fundraiser produced $4.5 million was also inaccurate. Trump’s puffery has yet to harm him with his supporters, as he’s dominated the GOP race. It remains to be seen if the general electorate will be as lenient with Trump’s propensity for puffery. When it comes to hard numbers — like donations and, potentially, his taxes — it can be harder to make puffery acceptable. CNN reports that in March, Trump’s organization produced a list of veterans organizations that had received $2.9 million in donations from the event.
