No, Trump didn't pledge only 3% of GoFundMe proceeds to Helene victims | Fact check
The claim: Trump only pledged 3% of Hurricane Helene fundraiser proceeds to victims
An Oct. 2 Threads post (direct link, archive link) includes an image showing former President Donald Trump’s authorized GoFundMe to support Hurricane Helene victims.
“Donald Trump launched a GoFundMe for ‘Hurricane Victims’ with a $1 million goal, and it’s already over $3.5 million,” reads part of the post. “Guess how much he promises to actually donate? A generous 3%!”
The post was reposted more than 100 times in five days. Other versions of the claim spread widely on Threads and X, formerly Twitter.
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Our rating: False
The GoFundMe page pledged to direct all funds raised to hurricane victims, as the platform's policy requires. Roughly 3% of each donation goes toward GoFundMe's transaction fees.
97% of each donation will go to victims, GoFundMe says
Meredith O’Rourke, the national finance director for Trump's campaign, launched the Trump-authorized fundraiser in the days after Hurricane Helene swept the southeast, killing more than 200 people and causing billions of dollars in damage.
Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Reuters that claims about only a small percentage of the donations going to victims are false.
“All of the proceeds will go directly toward organizations delivering relief on the ground,” Leavitt told the outlet.
That echoes the GoFundMe page, which says “all donations will be directed to help those most affected” by Hurricane Helene. As of Oct. 7, it specified that funds would be given to charities, including Samaritan's Purse, Water Mission and Mtn2Sea Ministries.
Fact check: No, Biden didn't say he's done sending aid to Hurricane Helene victims
GoFundMe said 97% of each donation would “go directly to people impacted by this event” in an Oct. 2 X post. That’s because the platform takes a 2.9% transaction fee plus an additional 30 cents from each donation, according to its website.
GoFundMe’s terms require organizers raising funds on behalf of someone else to “ensure that all funds raised are given to or spent on behalf of that beneficiary.”
USA TODAY has debunked an array of claims about Trump, including false assertions that an authentic image shows Trump wading through flood waters after Hurricane Helene, that an authentic video shows the former president's college report card and that another clip shows an actual conversation between Trump and Sean "Diddy" Combs.
USA TODAY reached out to Leavitt, GoFundMe and users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Reuters also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
GoFundMe, Oct. 5, GoFundMe Terms of Service
GoFundMe, Oct. 2, X post
GoFundMe, Oct. 1, Support Hurricane Helene Victims – Trump Authorized
GoFundMe, Aug. 19, Learn about fees
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's Helene fundraiser pledged all proceeds, not 3% | Fact check
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