Fact Check: Obama Falsely Claims Republicans Think Generosity Is for ‘Suckers’

CLAIM: Former President Barack Obama suggested during his Democratic National Convention (DNC) speech Tuesday that former President Donald Trump and his Republican supporters — or as Obama called them, the “other side” — believe generosity is for “suckers.”

VERDICT: FALSE. Statistically, Republicans are actually among the “heaviest” givers.

Obama — who largely obsessed over Trump during his divisive speech to Democrats on Tuesday night, demonizing him and his supporters with surface level jabs — also attempted to cast the vision of the Democratic Party.

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“Our job over the next week is to convince as many people as possible to vote for that vision. The other side knows it’s easier to play on people’s fears and sense. Always ask. They will tell you that government is inherently corrupt. That the sacrifice and generosity are for suckers. Since the game is rigged, it’s ok to take what you want and just look after your own,” Obama said of those who oppose the “vision” of the Democrat Party, whose platform includes the promise of protections for doctors who want to trans children.

“That’s the easy path. We have a different task. Our job is to convince people that democracy can actually deliver and in knowing that we can’t just point to what we’ve already accomplished. We can’t just rely on the ideas of the past. We need to chart a new way forward to meet the challenges of today and common understandings,” Obama continued.

Obama’s assertion, that Republicans look down on generosity and sacrifice, is categorically false.

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Statistics on U.S. generosity, highlighted by Philanthropy Roundtable, actually show the complete opposite. Out of Democrats, independents, and Republicans, Republicans were identified as the “heaviest” givers, which amount to $5,000 or more per year. Twelve percent of Republicans fell in that category, compared to four percent of Democrats and three percent of independents.

Republicans were also identified as the most “heavy” givers, which includes giving anywhere from $1,000-$5,000 per year. Nineteen percent of Republicans fell under that category, compared to jut 13 percent of Democrats and 17 percent of independents.

Philanthropy Roundtable also noted that almost exactly half of the group of Democrats, independents, and Republicans averaged donations of $100-$999.

Meanwhile, Democrats were the champions of “light” giving — $0-$99 per year, as 35 percent fell into that category, compared to 29 percent of independents and 19 percent of Republicans.

Philanthropy Roundtable provided more statistics as well, identifying conservatives as “hearty givers — as made clear in this graph, the one previous, and many other data sets.”

The graph it referred to showed individual conservative donors — even with less income than self-described liberals — “give 30 percent more” than their left-wing counterparts.

It also debunked the stereotype that Obama attempted to tout — that Democrats are more generous:

When it reported its findings, the Chronicle of Philanthropy noted that the states that rank highest in charitable giving all voted Republican in the 2012 Presidential election, while all but a couple of the least generous states voted for the Democrat (that’s what the color coding to the left reflects). Economist Arthur Brooks, author of the detailed charity analysis Who Really Cares, likewise states that “the electoral map and the charity map are remarkably similar.” He notes “there is a persistent stereotype about charitable giving in politically progressive regions of America: while people on the political right may be hardworking and family-oriented, they tend not to be very charitable toward the less fortunate,” while, “those on the political left care about vulnerable members of society, and are thus the charitable ones…. This stereotype is wrong.”

Obama is incorrect. Those on the political right clearly do not believe generosity is for “suckers,” as they are typically more generous than leftists.