Former First Lady Melania Trump on Friday accused a Tulsa school of being motivated by politics in refusing a donation.
"They would not accept scholarship dollars for deserving students—even as an anonymous gift," Trump said in a statement. "It was made clear to me that the school’s Board of Directors organized a politically-motivated decision."
The New York Times first reported the school in question was Holberton School Tulsa, a tuition-deferred software development school.
Trump said she was "disappointed but not surprised," and blamed journalists reporting on her attempts at philanthropy for the troubles.
"The media has created a narrative whereby I am trying to act in an illegal or unethical manner," Trump said. "That portrayal is simply untrue and adversely affects the children I hope to support.
Those who attack my initiatives and create the appearance of impropriety are quite literally dream killers. They have canceled the hopes and dreams of children by trying to cancel me."
In a statement to Public Radio Tulsa, Holberton School CEO Julien Barbier said, "We were approached about a scholarship by her team but never reached an agreement on the logistics of the scholarship. There's really nothing more to add honestly."
The first cohort of students graduated from Holberton's Tulsa school in September after its opening in 2020.
