Trump Donates $100,000 of Salary to Restore National Monuments
President Donald Trump is donating $100,000 of his salary to help repair national monuments damaged during anti-police brutality protests.
Donald Trump Holds Campaign Rally In Dallas DALLAS, TX - SEPTEMBER 14: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the American Airlines Center on September 14, 2015 in Dallas, Texas. More than 20,000 tickets have been distributed for the event.
According to The Sun, Trump pledged a quarter of his $400,000 annual pay to be given to the National Park Service to restore the damaged monuments.
"I promised YOU I would not take a dime of salary as your President," Trump tweeted on Friday. "I donate the entire $400,000! It is my honor to give $100,000 to @NatlParkService to help repair and restore our GREAT National Monuments. So important to our American History! Thank You!!"
Officials in cities that endured weeks and months of protests estimated tens of millions of dollars in damage cost to property, public works, and buildings, including statues.
According to the Oregonian, Portland businesses estimated $2.3 million in damage in early July because of the anti-police brutality protests.
Private businesses in Denver reported similar damages of around $2 million in late June, as per Denver Post. There were no reports yet on how much of Trump's $100,000 donation will go toward the restoration of these monuments.
Protests Continue At Capitol In Denver In Aftermath To Death Of George Floyd DENVER, CO - MAY 30: Thousands of people attend a rally next to the Colorado State Capitol to protest the death of George Floyd on May 30, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. The city of Denver has enacted a curfew starting Saturday night and Governor Jared Polis has called in the Colorado National Guard after two nights of protests wreaked havoc across the city.
Confederate statues were destroyed or removed in the wake of George Floyd's police custody death in Minneapolis. Floyd's death prompted mass protests across the United States.
Protesters mainly targeted monuments to slaveholders or Confederate officers in major cities. Some businesses and buildings were also damaged during the chaos.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), most of America's Confederate statues were built between the 1900s and 1920s. In the 1900s, states were enacting Jim Crow laws to disenfranchise black Americans.
Some southerners claim these monuments are a testament to their history and were erected to honor Civil War heroes. However, others believed that they promote white supremacy.
The UPI reported that this was the second time Trump pledged his salary to the National Park Service. He gave his first paycheck as president to the agency in March 2017.
Trump donation on Friday came more than a month after he signed an executive order to protect monuments in the U.S., like those toppled in connections to slavery or racism.
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