'This is false': Fox host's claims about Trump 'charity' to Nelson Mandela ripped apart

Donald Trump supporters have been claiming that he chartered a plane for Nelson Mandela during his United States visit four decades ago, but the truth is a bit more complex.

The former president sat down for an interview with Fox News host and former pro wrestler Tyrus, who suggested that Trump allowed the South African anti-apartheid activist to use the Trump Shuttle plane for free, and the Republican presidential nominee did not correct him.

"Nelson Mandela was trying to come to the United States," Tyrus said. "You chartered a plane for the entire trip. Why is hard for you to talk about the things you've done?"

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"I love doing it," Trump replied. "I don't need praise for it. I just like helping people. I help a lot of people. I enjoy doing it. It's not a narrative the press likes to talk about."

Mandela did fly on one of the carrier's Boeing 727s on his eight-city tour of the U.S. in 1990, after his release from 27 years in prison for conspiring to overthrow the apartheid state, but Trump did not lend his own plane.

"This is false," said Washington Post fact checker Glenn Kessler in response to Tyrus' claims. "The truth, based on news reports at the time: The Trump Shuttle was in financial trouble because Trump made a bad deal and ended up with too many 727s. He had already put the airline up for sale and would soon lose control of it to the banks. He didn't offer his own plane but charged Mandela $130,000 to borrow one of his unused jets."

David Frum, a former George W. Bush speechwriter, fact-checked another Trump supporter making similar claims about Mandela and the former president's air shuttle.

"Below is a fascinating example of Trump supporters' fantasy world," Frum tweeted . "They tell a story of Trump charity to Nelson Mandela that somehow has gone untold until now. What actually happened was that Trump creditors seized his 'Trump Shuttle' airline during Trump's first bankruptcy in summer 1990. The creditors leased Trump-branded planes to anyone who would pay a commercial rate, including Nelson Mandela's eight-city U.S. tour that year."

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