All five of the living former US presidents have joined together in order to support relief and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and to brace for the impact of Hurricane Irma, reports CNN.
Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama appeared together in a video. In the video, they ask Americans to stand together and respond with help to the destruction Hurricane Harvey has wrought. The effort the video introduces is called the One America Appeal.
The offices of the elder Bush say the initiative will also include an appeal during the opening of the regular NFL season and another public service announcement happening over the weekend.
The hurricane hits particularly close for the Bushes. Their home state of Texas has been devastated by the hurricane, as has the neighboring state of Louisiana. Flooding and high winds have destroyed many homes and killed dozens of people. Recovery efforts for the aftermath of Harvey have already been headed up by the Bushes so far.
“We love you, Texas,” said the elder Bush in the video which has been posted to the One America Appeal website.
The office of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation issued a statement saying any and all donations made will be collected and distributed by a restricted account.
Statement by President George W. Bush on Hurricane Harvey https://t.co/bFymTuB02J
— TheBushCenter (@TheBushCenter) August 28, 2017
This isn’t the first time former presidents have joined together in order to respond to a natural disaster; Clinton and the elder Bush created a joint effort to respond to Hurricane Katrina, the South Asia tsunami and the earthquake in Haiti. These previous charity appeals have always brought together former presidents.
The one thing that happens to be different about this particular time is that all previous efforts have included the sitting president in some capacity. The White House has not responded to questions about whether or not Trump was invited to participate. He did, however, offer his support on Twitter Thursday evening, writing: “We will confront ANY challenge, no matter how strong the winds or high the water. I’m proud to stand with Presidents for #OneAmericaAppeal.”
His re-election campaign has encouraged private donations and stated that the president himself donated $1 million to be used for recovery efforts after Harvey.
It would be nice to see any and all political angst put on hold in this trying time.