Trump will 'personally' donate $1 million to Hurricane Harvey recovery


President Trump will "personally" donate $1 million toward Hurricane Harvey recovery in Texas and Louisiana, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday. While cost estimates are still in their preliminary stages, AccuWeather predicts the storm could require $190 billion to bounce back from, potentially making it the worst natural disaster in American history.
Trump has frequently pledged his own money to causes but not followed through with actually handing over the donations, David Fahrenthold reported for The Washington Post in an explosive investigation that earned him the Pulitzer Prize last year. Sanders said Thursday that she did not know if the money would come from Trump himself or his organization, only emphasizing that Trump said it would be his "personal" funds.
"[Trump] has actually asked that I check with the folks in this room, since you are very good at research and have been doing a lot of reporting into the groups and organizations that have been best and most effective in helping providing aid, and he'd love some suggestions from folks here," Sanders told the press. Watch below. Jeva Lange
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
August 6 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Wednesday's political cartoons include Texas legislators on the lam, Donald Trump's search for lickspittle statisticians, and the Canadian wildfires
-
The jobs most at risk from AI
The Explainer Sales and customer services are touted as some of the key jobs that will be replaced by AI
-
Eighty years after Hiroshima: how close is nuclear conflict?
Today's Big Question Eight decades on from the first atomic bomb 'we have blundered into a new age of nuclear perils'
-
India rejects Trump threat over Russian oil
Speed Read The president said he would raise tariffs on India for buying and selling Russian oil
-
NY's Hochul vows response to Texas gerrymander
Speed Read Gov. Kathy Hochul has promised to play ball with redistricting that favors the Democrats
-
Texas Democrats exit state to block redistricting vote
Speed Read More than 51 legislators fled the state in protest of the GOP's plan to redraw congressional districts
-
Trump criticized for firing BLS chief after jobs report
Speed Read Bureau of Labor Statistics chief Erika McEntarfer oversaw a July jobs report that the president claims was rigged
-
Trump revives K-12 Presidential Fitness Test
Speed Read The Obama administration phased the test out in 2012, replacing it with a program focused on overall health rather than standardized benchmarks
-
El Salvador scraps term limits, boosting Nayib Bukele
Speed Read New constitutional changes will allow presidents to seek reelection an indefinite number of times
-
Trump assigns tariffs, delays all except on Canada
Speed Read A 35% tariff on many Canadian goods has gone into effect
-
Harris rules out run for California governor
Speed Read The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee ended months of speculation about her plans for the contest