The five living former U.S. presidents released an advertisement Thursday evening asking Americans to donate to a Hurricane Harvey relief fund.
Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter were featured in the video ad for a campaign entitled “One America Appeal.” The video began with a public service announcement during the first NFL game of the season.
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Former president George W. Bush, who lives in Dallas, said in the video, “People are hurting down here, but as one Texan put it, ‘We’ve got more love in Texas than water.’”
The video concluded with 93-year-old Jimmy Carter saying, “We love you, Texas.”
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The campaign marks the first joint initiative by former leaders since Obama departed the White House in January. Current U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted shortly after the release of the ad, that he is proud to stand with the five former leaders to support this cause.
“We will confront ANY challenge, no matter how strong the winds or high the water,” he wrote. “I’m proud to stand with Presidents for #OneAmericaAppeal.”
Hurricane Harvey hit the state of Texas at the end of August and brought catastrophic flooding to over a dozen counties. Harvey, which was later downgraded to a tropical storm, was also the first natural disaster of the Trump presidency.
The One America Appeal campaign will not launch a new fund, but rather will contribute to existing funds supporting the relief effort in Texas. The New York Times reports that presidents, past and present, have a history of coming together in the aftermath of natural disasters to help raise funds for affected areas.
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All 5 living former U.S. presidents appear in video to appeal for Hurricane Harvey relief donations -
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In 2005, then-president Bill Clinton and his defeated counterpart George H.W. Bush came together to raise money after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, killing almost 2,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.
In 2010, then-president Barack Obama asked Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to join forces to raise money after the devastating earthquake in Haiti. The Times reports that the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund raised $54.4 million.
As Hurricane Irma threatens to barrel through Florida, it’s expected that the campaign may be extended to those affected in the coming days. Irma has already taken more than a dozen lives in the Caribbean and U.S. and British Virgin Islands since Wednesday. It’s expected to turn towards Florida within the next day and then hit Georgia, where former president Jimmy Carter lives.
Donations to the campaign will go to the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation, which will distribute the money to the Houston Harvey Relief Fund and the Rebuild Texas Fund. Donations can be made online at oneamericaappeal.org.
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