Trump to donate to Harvey relief fund as death toll rises

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US President Donald Trump has said he is pledging one million US dollars from his personal money to help fund relief efforts in Texas and Louisiana following Hurricane Harvey.

The White House will also ask Congress for emergency funding to help the thousands of people affected by Hurricane Harvey, as CNN reported the death toll from the hurricane hit 47 on Thursday.

Around 32,000 people have been forced to leave their homes as a result of flooding in Texas. /AFP Photo

The Texas department of public safety said on Thursday that 48,700 homes had sustained flood damage, including around 1,000 that had been destroyed. Around 32,000 people have been forced to leave their homes.

Trump donation

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced that President Trump would be making a personal donation at a press briefing on Thursday.

She said Trump is calling on reporters to help decide which specific organization he should give to.

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania return to the White House in Washington, DC, from Texas after viewing the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey on August 29, 2017. /AFP Photo

Reporter: "Can you speak to what the President and his family have done regarding donations for Harvey relief, personally?"

Sanders: "Yes I can... he's pledging a million dollars of personal money to the fund. And he's 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 are best and most effective in helping and providing aid."

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders asked reporters to decide which charities President Donald Trump's donation should go to. /AFP Photo

Trump used a similar "reporters decide" gimmick at the beginning of his administration, that time with his presidential salary, which he is declining to accept.

Then-press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters at a March briefing that Trump "has kindly asked you all determine where that goes."

A few weeks later, the White House announced that Trump had decided to give his first three months of salary to the Interior Department; his second three months worth went to the Education Department.

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania walk to board Air Force One ‍on August 29, 2017 en route to Texas to view the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey. /AFP Photo

Trump has been criticized in the past for giving far less of his income to charitable causes than many other multi-billionaires. And he hasn't followed through on previous charity pledges.

In one high-profile example last year, he failed to give a promised one million US dollars of his own money – plus another five million US dollars he said he'd raised – to veterans' organizations until reporters asked questions months later about who had received the charity.

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Source(s): AP