Donald Trump didn't cut checks for veterans charities until the very day the press forced him to respond

Donald Trump verbally beats the press for questioning his veterans donations — (Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

In a press conference on Tuesday, Donald Trump took umbrage at reporters asking him to account for the $6 million he said he raised for veterans charities back in January, resorting to name-calling and other invectives when reporters questioned his attitude to being questioned. "Instead of being like, 'Thank you very much, Mr. Trump,' or 'Trump did a good job,' everyone's saying: 'Who got it? Who got it? Who got it?'" Trump groused. "I have never received such bad publicity for doing such a good job."

Trump read off 41 organizations that had received $5.6 million from his January fundraiser, including $1 million of his own money. "Most of the money went out quite a while ago," Trump said on Tuesday. "Some of it went out more recently. But all of this has gone out." The Associated Press called each of the 41 organizations, 30 responded, and about half said they only got checks from Trump last week, with the biggest batch going out on or around May 24 — the same day Trump finally spoke with The Washington Post, which had been publicly digging around to account for his donations. Trump's $1 million check went out May 24, too

Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks said the timing was coincidental. "Mr. Trump's team worked very hard to complete this lengthy process prior to Memorial Day weekend," she said. Trump's likely Democratic presidential rival, Hillary Clinton, saw things differently. "The problem here is the difference between what Donald Trump says and what Donald Trump does," she said. "He's bragged for months about raising $6 million for vets and donating $1 million himself, but it took a reporter to shame him into actually making the contribution." That's one way to raise questions about Trump's judgment for cutting checks on the same day he was nailed by reporters for failing to fulfill a public promise. Here's another:

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On the other hand, Trump's only been running for president for a year.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.