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

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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.

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Jeva Lange

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.