It took only four words for Donald Trump to change a man’s life.
William Campudoni, a boxer from Spanish Harlem in New York, grew up poor and was, at one point of his life, “on the brink of being homeless.”
Then he met the man now known as the president of the United States and everything changed.
In a five-minute-long ad from 2016, titled “American Comeback Story,” Campudoni explained the series of events that changed his life for the better and how Trump was at the center of that transformation.
It was the night of Christmas Eve when Campudoni said he’d finally hit his breaking point.
“I walked into the Saint Patrick’s Cathedral and I said ‘God, please give me a purpose,’” Campudoni explained.
He then walked outside and saw a “gorgeous building”: it was Trump Tower.
Desperate, Campudoni walked inside and said he was looking for work. The very next day, on Christmas, he was hired by Trump himself.
According to the boxer, along with the hiring, Trump gifted him five navy blue suits, shook his hand and said four words Campudoni would carry with him for the rest of his life.
“Welcome to the family.”
Campudoni then addressed the “accusations” of racism and xenophobia that have been constantly levied at Trump since early on in his first campaign.
“I hear these accusations, but let me tell you firsthand. He employed people from all origins. We were all treated like family, and I remember that, and I admired him for that. He put us all first,” Campudoni continued.
In what might have been the most influential moment of Campudoni’s life, he said Trump handed him a personal letter “expressing just how proud he was” of Campudoni.
Having never had a father figure in his life, this approval meant everything to him.
“You know, Trump wouldn’t know this, but along with a few momentos in life, this letter was the one that gave me the most inspiration. These words, they have been a constant reminder of how much I have been appreciated,” the boxer explained.
“Donald Trump taught me how to act like a champion. Mr. Trump just didn’t give me a job that Christmas day. What I realize today is that he gave me a tool to help rediscover my purpose. To be an inspiration to my children.”