Trump pledges $10G to supporter going to inaugural ball in donated suit
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A FedEx courier from rural Illinois attending Donald Trump’s inauguration in a donated suit broke down in tears Thursday night when offered a $10,000 check by the commander-in-chief.
“Did that just happen?” Shane Bouvet, 24, of Stonington, asked after meeting Trump backstage at the pre-inauguration concert at the Lincoln Memorial, The Washington Post reported.
Trump read about Bouvet, a struggling single father, in the Post Wednesday and told aides he wanted to meet the man.
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The paper reported that Bouvet was invited to attend an inaugural ball as thanks for working on Trump’s campaign in Illinois as a volunteer.
The invite required a suit and a nice pair of shoes, but Bouvet wasn’t sure he could afford that, according to the paper. A friend bought him the suit and got a shoe seller to donate the shoes.
During the meeting with Trump, Bouvet called his father.
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“You have a good boy,” Trump told Don Bouvet, according to the paper.
At the end Trump told an aide, “Send him a check for $10,000.”
Bouvet told WAND-TV in Decatur, Ill., that Trump told him he "would never have to worry again."
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The station reported Friday that Bouvelt said he felt like he was dreaming.
A photo on Trump’s Instagram account shows the president-elect with Bouvet.
“Great to meet one of my earliest and most dedicated supporters!” Trump wrote. “I am deeply humbled by the faith that millions of Americans have placed in me and our movement -- and to those who did not support me, I ask for the chance to be your President too as we make America great again together.”