President Donald Trump is donating $1 million of his own wealth to Hurricane Harvey victims, the White House said Thursday.
“He’ll pledge proudly $1 million of his own personal money to help the people of both Texas and Louisiana,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters. She added that the President wanted the White House reporters’ input on how best to donate the funds.
If he makes such a contribution, Trump would join a handful of other notable figures who have donated in the wake of Harvey. Pro football player J.J. Watt has collected over $10 million for recovery efforts, actress Sandra Bullock donated $1 million to the Red Cross, and business leader Michael Dell says he’s planning a contribution as well.
Still, Trump has not always followed through on his philanthropic promises. In January of 2016, the then-candidate skipped a primary debate to hold his own fundraiser for veterans in Iowa. He repeatedly stated that he had raised $6 million for the group, and that he had personally donated $1 million. But an investigation by the Washington Post found no evidence Trump had actually donated that money, despite his campaign manager’s insistence otherwise. Trump ultimately donated the funds in May of 2016 following media scrutiny.
But Trump has so far kept his promise to refuse a salary as President. As Politifact reports, he donated his first quarter salary to the National Park Service and his second quarter salary to the Department of Education.
