NYT's Kristof calls on Donald Trump to stop being such a tightwad

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof writes today about "how giving became cool." It started, he says, with media mogul Ted Turner giving away a cool $1 billion to the United Nations 15 years ago.

Since then, the well-known super wealthy have supposedly become more philanthropic. Except there's one guy in particular Kristof would like to see reach a little further into his pockets:

[N]ot everybody has gotten the memo. Take Donald Trump, who has contributed his name to a foundation but little more. An investigation by The Smoking Gun Web site described him as possibly “the least charitable billionaire in the United States,” for he apparently gave the foundation just $3.7 million — over 20 years. Trump, who has said he is worth $7 billion, is not even the largest contributor to his own foundation.

(A spokesman for Trump suggested that it would be “totally incorrect” to characterize him as uncharitable, saying that he has also donated land in upstate New York for public parks and “millions of dollars” to other causes.) ...

If you’re still reading, Donald Trump, it’s your move.

Then again, in October Trump did offer to give $5 million to charity... if President Obama released his college transcripts.