close
close

Trump's Hurricane Helene GoFundMe raises more than $2 million

play

WASHINGTON – Former President Donald Trump's fundraising campaign to benefit victims of Hurricane Helene has raised more than $2 million as of Tuesday.

Meredith O'Rourke, the Trump campaign's national finance director, launched the fundraiser on the website GoFundMe. This summer, she organized a similar page for victims of the shooting at Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung confirmed to USA TODAY that the GoFundMe page is legitimate and authorized by the former president.

More: Factory workers in Tennessee clung to the tractor-trailer before they were swept away by floodwaters in Helene

The fundraiser has received over 14,000 donations, according to its page, including $500,000 from former Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, who donated $500,000.

“All donations will benefit the people most affected by Hurricane Helene,” the page says. “Every level of generosity will be of great benefit to your fellow suffering Americans.”

Hurricane Helene, which devastated southeastern states such as North Carolina and Florida, left more than 100 dead and millions without power. Some areas of western North Carolina recorded more than 30 inches of rain, washing away homes and communities.

During a visit to Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday, Trump falsely claimed that Georgia's Republican Gov. Brian Kemp had been unable to reach President Joe Biden about relief efforts.

More: They came to Asheville to heal. Now all they see is destruction.

But Kemp himself recounted a conversation he had with Biden the day before in which the president asked the governor, “'Hey, what do you need?'”

Biden “offered to just call him directly if we needed any other things, which I really appreciated,” Kemp said.

Biden is scheduled to visit North Carolina on Wednesday, and Vice President Kamla Harris, Trump's rival for the presidency, is also planning a visit to the disaster area.

Harris received a briefing at FEMA headquarters in Washington, DC on Monday

“In recent days, our nation has experienced some of the worst destruction and devastation we have seen in quite some time,” she said. “And we responded with our best, with the best people on site.” ”

Featuring: Joey Garrison, David Jackson, John Bacon and Sarah Honosky

Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *