"He said, 'I'm going to write you a check out of my personal account for $25,000,' and I was just floored," the elder Baldridge told the Washington Post on Oct. 18. "I could not believe he was saying that, and I wish I had it recorded because the man did say this. He said, 'No other president has ever done something like this,' but he said, 'I'm going to do it.' "