Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

More Info

I would like to contribute

Former President Donald Trump poses for photos above the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 7, 1995. Former President Donald Trump poses for photos above the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 7, 1995.

Former President Donald Trump poses for photos above the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 7, 1995.

Sofia Ahmed
By Sofia Ahmed March 29, 2024

No, Donald Trump did not pay off the mortgage of a man who fixed his flat tire

If Your Time is short

  • There are multiple stories with inconsistent details of former President Donald Trump paying off the mortgage of a man who fixed his flat tire. 

  • In 1997, an assistant at Trump’s New York office told The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper, that the story was false. 

  • Learn more about PolitiFact’s fact-checking process and rating system.

In an oft-told tale, former President Donald Trump thanks a stranger who fixed his flat tire.

"How can I repay you?" Trump asks, according to multiple Facebook posts that detailed the story.

The stranger, who was described in the posts only as "a black man walking by," replied by saying his wife always wanted flowers.

"A few days later, the black man’s wife gets a beautiful bouquet of flowers with a note saying, ‘Thanks for helping me. By the way, … the mortgage on your house is paid off.’"

The posts describe other instances of Trump’s generosity: giving $25,000 to a U.S. Marine who was beaten in a Mexican prison; sending $10,000 to a bus driver who saved a suicidal woman’s life; and chartering a private flight for a rabbi’s critically ill son. 

Those, we found, had some factual basis. The flat tire story, however, did not.

These posts were flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

Sign up for PolitiFact texts

The flat tire story has been repeated several times through the decades. And it has been frequently debunked.

The story was shared as far back as 1996 in Forbes, our review of Nexis news archives found. The details, including the location of the flat tire and the message Trump sent the good Samaritan, have changed throughout the years. Forbes did not name the purported tire fixer.

Featured Fact-check

In 1997, The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper, asked an assistant at Trump’s New York office about the rumor. "We’ve heard the story," the assistant said, according to the article. "No, it isn’t true." 

There are reasons to believe the other anecdotes in the post. Trump in 1988 used his private jet to help transport a critically ill child to a hospital, Snopes confirmed. In 2013, he gave $10,000 to bus driver Darnell Barton who talked a suicidal woman off a Buffalo, New York, bridge, a number of news organizations reported. In 2014, Trump gave $25,000 to U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi after he was imprisoned in Mexico.

Trump didn’t pay off the mortgage of a man who fixed his flat tire. That is False. 

PolitiFact Researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.

Our Sources

Facebook post, (archived), March 22, 2024

Facebook post, (archived), March 4, 2024

Facebook post, (archived), March 9, 2024

Forbes, Good Samaritan wins big, Feb. 12, 1996

The Globe and Mail, Managing Buzz: Mike meltdown muzzles Hydro chairman, Aug. 15, 1997

The Times of Israel, For tale of Jewish child ‘saved’ by Trump, a tragic end, Aug. 25, 2015

The Daily Beast, Did Donald Trump’s Tweets Imperil a Marine Jailed in Mexico, Sep. 7, 2016

Snopes, Did Donald Trump Pay Off a Good Samaritan’s Mortgage?, March 3, 1998

The Morning Call, Trump didn’t pay mortgage of Samaritan, Oct. 25, 1999

Charleston Gazette-Mail, Joseph WyattL A false tale of altruism (Opinion), Aug. 13, 2020

Snopes, Donald Trump’s ‘Quiet Acts of Random Kindness’, Aug. 7, 2020

Snopes, Did Trump’s Private Jet Carry a Sick Child from California to New York, Aug. 15, 2015

USA Today, Donald Trump offers $10,000 to hero bus driver, Nov. 2, 2013

Huffington Post, Donald Trump Gives ‘Hero Bus Driver’ Reward For Preventing Suicide, Feb. 11, 2013

Patch, Donald Trump Gives $10,000 Gift To Hero Bus Driver, Nov. 8, 2013

Donald Trump X post, Nov. 10, 2014

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Sofia Ahmed

No, Donald Trump did not pay off the mortgage of a man who fixed his flat tire

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up