Trump to Donate $1 Million to Hurricane Victims

Donald Trump, President of the United States, made an announcement on Thurs, August 31 that he will donate $1 million to the victims of Hurricane Harvey that struck Texas and Louisiana, which affected more than 100,000 people. The president later made an update on which organizations would receive the donation, revealing that a total of eleven organizations will receive assistance.

In a statement made by the White House Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the decision on which organizations would receive donations came after consultation and recommendation by First Lady Melania Trump. According to the statement, the First Lady has had first-hand experience observing the organizations work to ensure that the victims of past hurricanes.

The Red Cross and the Salvation Army will each receive a sum of $300,000; Reach Out America and Samaritan’s Purse will receive $100,000 each while the rest- ASPCA, Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanity, Team Rubicon, Portlight Inclusive Disaster Strategies, Houston Humane Society, Direct Relief and Operation Blessing- will receive $25,000 each.

In one of her daily White House briefings, on Thursday , Sanders said , “Trump would like to join in the efforts of helping.” This came as a response to the question as to whether the president would personally contribute to the cause or contribute through one of his organizations.

Prior to mentioning the organizations to which the money would be donated to, Trump had asked Sanders to check “with the folks in this room” because “you are very good at research and are doing a lot of reporting” after which she came up with the recommended list of the eleven organizations.

Trump’s donations come as a delivery of one of his campaign promises to not take his paycheck, but instead donate the money. His first donation went to the National Park Service, while the second donation went to the Education Department.

Referring to the president’s gesture, Homeland Security Secretary, Tom Bossert, said, “We very much appreciate that. […] The president was deeply touched by those phone calls.” He further added that Canada and Mexico had sent in their condolences and offering assistance to those affected by Harvey.

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