Gold Star Family Receives Personal Check From Trump

The family of a fallen American soldier has finally received the $25,000 check that President Trump promised them months ago during a condolence call.

Chris and Jessie Baldridge told ABC11 that the check was delivered to their home in Zebulon, North Carolina on Monday along with a letter signed by the president.

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The Washington Post first reported that Chris Baldridge spoke with the President in July, shortly after his son, Dillon, and two other soldiers were killed in an ambush attack in Afghanistan. During the phone call, the President allegedly promised to write Baldridge a check out of his personal account, stating that “no other president has ever done something like this. I’m going to do it.”

Controversy arose after the article was published, prompting White House officials to issue a statement declaring that “the check has been in the pipeline since the President’s initial call with the father. The President has personally followed up several times to ensure that the check was being sent. As stated earlier, the check has been sent.”

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The check that Baldridge received in the mail was dated October 18th, the same date that the White House was asked about the check and issued the statement.

The Baldridge’s say that they plan to use the money to honor Dillon’s legacy and the legacy of other fallen American heroes, stating in an excerpt from a letter they are writing to the President that they are starting a nonprofit organization whose mission will be to make American flags and work with local schools. “We want you to know how grateful we are for this generous gift from you. We also want you to know that we intend to use this money to start a nonprofit organization in Dillon’s name into something you can be proud of … Our goal is to help as many fellow Americans as possible for the rest of our lives.”