No decision yet on distribution of president’s donation
WASHINGTON — The White House is still trying to decide who will get President Trump’s pledged $1 million donation for Harvey storm relief efforts, one of the largest gifts ever given by a president but one that has evoked his checkered charitable past.
The president plans to make the donation, which is expected to come from his personal fortune, this week, and it may be split among several groups doing relief work in stormravaged areas of Texas and Louisiana. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday that the president hasn’t finalized where the money will go, raising some concern that charitable groups may end up competing for the money.
Sanders invited reporters to make recommendations for which groups should get the money. “If you have suggestions, he is very open to hearing those,” Sanders said.
The president met with three relief groups — the Red Cross, Southern Baptist Relief and Salvation Army — in the Oval Office on Friday and pledged the nation’s support to those affected by Harvey.
“Families have given food and shelter to those in need. Houses of worship have organized efforts to clean up communities and repair damaged homes,” Trump said during an earlier meeting with religious leaders. “People have never seen anything quite like this.”
There has been some concern that, if Trump opted to donate to only one group or just a few, there could be intense competition among relief agencies for the money and the publicity that comes with it.
But Rick Cohen, communications director for the National Council of Nonprofits, said there’s already intense competition among organizations for Harvey donations. “He should be looking to make an informed contribution, and it seems that he’s doing so,” said Cohen.
White House officials said the donation would come from the president’s personal fortune and not his business, the Trump Organization, or his charitable foundation.
Trump’s history of charitable donations features bursts of generosity frequently overshadowed by failed promises and questions about the source of the gifts.
The president has claimed to be worth $10 billion while experts have pegged his fortunate at far less. But Trump reportedly donates a far smaller percentage of his dollars than many of his fellow billionaires. The exact extent of Trump’s charitable giving is not known since the president has broken with decades of tradition and not released his tax returns.