Fact Check: Did Trump donate a $1,300 check for hurricane relief? Viral Fox News screenshot debunked

An image claiming Republican nominee Donald Trump donated $1,300 for hurricane relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton circulated on social media. On October 13, 2024, X user @SarahBCalif posted an image of what looked like a Fox News telecast of the former president holding a giant cheque for $1,300.

The headline next to the purported Fox News logo read "Trump Donating $1,300 for Hurricane Relief," and the cheque had the words "Trump Manie Mar M AIFAL" on it. The X user believed the screenshot was true, comparing his alleged donation to celebrities like Taylor Swift and Ryan Reynolds.

However, the image is fake, most likely an AI-generated picture. According to the fact-checking website Snopes, the image originated on Reddit by user BobbyKristina. They had posted the picture to the subreddit EnoughTrumpSpam, marking it as a parody.

CBS19 also fact-checked the image with Fox News, whose spokesperson confirmed the image "did not air on Fox News." Shayan Sardarizadeh, a senior journalist at BBC Verify, also took to social media to add the image was "AI-generated and fake."

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Trump collected emergency relief fund via GoFundMe

According to AP News, Donald Trump and his campaign team are using the for-profit crowdfunding platform GoFundMe to collect funds for the victims affected by Hurricane Helene. The hurricane fundraiser has collected more than $14 million, along with a fundraiser for the victims of the July assassination attempt.

Brian Hughes, the Republican candidate's campaign spokesperson, explained why the team turned to GoFundMe, stating:

"The president wanting to help find a way for his supporters to give as much direct support as they can.”

He added that the donation collected from the fundraiser would be used in its entirety to help the victims of Hurricane Helene and would not be used as campaign funding. Hushes also said that "more than $6.5 million of the $7.7 million" collected for Hurricane Helene victims has already been distributed.

“The president has an amazing movement of supporters. With the experience in Butler generating millions of dollars of support, he saw the same opportunity to be a direct conduit for a philanthropic effort from his supporters,” Hughes added.

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President Joe Biden criticized Trump regarding FEMA funds

President Joe Biden recently criticized Trump for "spreading misinformation" about the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) fund for the hurricane victims. During a rally in Butler on October 5, the former president claimed FEMA was offering only $750 to the victims, adding:

“They’re offering them $750 to people whose homes have been washed away. And yet we send tens of billions of dollars to foreign countries that most people have never heard of. They’re offering them $750. They’ve been destroyed. These people have been destroyed.”

Both Biden and US VP Kamala Harris rebuked his statement, claiming he was being "irresponsible" and spreading "mis- and disinformation." According to NPR, FEMA calls the $750 "Serious Needs Assistance," an initial payment to cover essentials like food and medical supplies.

In a press conference on October 10, Joe Biden accused the Republican candidate of being "un-American" for his rhetoric about the FEMA funding, saying:

“Mr. Trump and all those other people know it’s a lie to suggest that’s all they’re going to get. That’s bizarre. They’ve got to stop this. I mean, they’re being so damn un-American with the way they’re talking about this stuff.”

The former president previously claimed that FEMA was running out of funds for disaster relief because the money was being used to support immigrants. The organization addressed this claim on its webpage, adding that it was untrue.