hurricane harvey

melania and donald trump

President Trump pledged $1 million, out of his own pocket to help victims of Hurricane.  Which is seemingly altruistic, isn’t it?  I mean, Trump is valued at over $1 billion, so this is kind of a drop in the bucket for him.  But why is he doing it?  What is behind this gesture?  I feel weird saying this, but is this Trump finally being a human being?  Doubtful.  What’s more likely is that it’s just lip service.  Originally, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that Trump would donate $1 million out of his “personal money” to the victims of Hurricane Harvey, but as of yesterday, he wasn’t so sure.

donald trump

Then, it came out that they weren’t sure if the money would come from his own money or from the Trump Foundation.  What’s interesting about this is that during the campaign, we learned that Trump uses his foundation like a personal expense account.  Further, he hasn’t donated any money to that account since 2008.  If Trump does decide to donate “personal money” to Harvey victims, it would be unusual, as Trump’s personal giving has almost disappeared entirely in the more recent years.

hurricane harvey

The President should donate some relief.  I’m not saying that because I think every President should.  This one should because he is legitimately a rich man.  He’s got the money, so it is kind of the thing to do.  If Trump wants to look like a human being, he will step up to the plate.  In the mean time a tech billionaire, Michael Dell has committed to donating $36 million towards relief efforts.  That’s incredible, don’t you think?

hurricane harvey

Dell will be giving the money through the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.  The foundation was started by him and his wife in 1999.  Over the last 18 years, the foundation has given $1.38 billion to aid relief and social welfare projects around the world.  The foundation has set up a specific fund, Rescue Texas, to organize aid for the areas affected by the hurricane.  The target is $100, so Dell’s personal contribution should make up for a little more than a third of the total.

Who else is donating to Harvey?

  • Sandra Bullock, $1 million to the American Red Cross
  • Leonardo DiCaprio, $1 million to the new United Way Harvey Recovery Fun
  • Tyler Perry, $250,000 to Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, $250,000 to Beyonce’s pastor Rudy Rasmus and his Bread of Life organization and is assessing how to donate another $500,000 to Harvey relief
  • Miley Cyrus, $500,000 to the American Red Cross, Best Friends, the Greater Houston Community Fund and other charities
  • Solange, all earnings from her Sept. 28 show in Boston to those affected by Harvey, as well as $3 from each ticket from her Oct. 3 show in New York
  • The Kardashian family, $250,000 each to the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army
  • Country singer Chris Young, $100,000 to the American Red Cross
  • Fall Out Boy, all proceeds from their Nov. 7 show in Houston would go to Harvey relief
  • Kevin Hart, $50,000 to the American Red Cross
  • “Supernatural” star Jensen Ackles, $50,000 to Random Acts
  • The Chainsmokers, $30,000 to the American Red Cross
  • Ellen DeGeneres, $25,000 to the American Red Cross and SPCA Texas
  • D.J. Khaled, $25,000 to the American Red Cross
  • Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, $25,000 to the American Red Cross
  • Jennifer Lopez, $25,000 to the American Red Cross
  • Alex Rodriguez, $25,000 to the American Red Cross
  • Wendy Williams, $25,000 to the American Red Cross
  • The Texas Tenors, all of the sales from their new single, “Rise,” to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund.

With all these celebrities making donations to help those people who have been displaced by Hurricane Harvey, I would strongly urge the President to do so as well.  Trump might be in Texas helping in shelters, but he can’t even begin to imagine what these people are going through.  They’ve lost their homes.  They won’t be returning for quite some time.  I commend the celebrities listed above for doing their part.  I’m sure there are more that I’ve missed.  They at least understand what kind of impact a donation can make.  It will be interesting to see if Trump donates the money and where it comes from.  This is definitely one to watch out for.  If it comes from his pocket, I will declare that he’s human, but I doubt that will happen.

By Staff Writer

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