Jason Aldean Puts $500K Donation Toward Trump’s Hurricane GoFundMe
Jason Aldean closed out his 2024 Highway Desperado Tour with a hometown show in Macon, Ga., on Friday night (Oct. 5), and he ended the run with a massive, surprise donation to help victims of Hurricane Helene.
Aldean — who hails from Georgia, one of the states affected by the storm's devastation — dedicated one segment of his show to helping present a check for over $6.5 million to Samaritan's Purse, earmarked for relief efforts. Those funds were raised by former U.S. president Donald Trump's GoFundMe, and Burt Jones, the Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, took the stage with Aldean to present the donation.
But that wasn't all: The country star then surprised the crowd — and, apparently, the Lieutenant Governor — with a check for $500,000 to add to hurricane relief donations.
That brought the donations total to $7,039,604, and Trump himself popped up on the screen behind Aldean with a brief video message for the crowd.
"We're gonna make America great again. You're all gonna be very happy," said the former president, who is currently running for his second term alongside vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance.
What to Know About Hurricane Helene
- Hurricane Helene first made landfall on Sept. 26, when it touched down on Florida's Big Bend region, becoming the strongest hurricane on record to do so.
- As of Monday morning (Oct. 7), the death toll has risen to 232 across six states, according to CNN.
- Deaths have been reported in Florida, Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. The highest death toll numbers are out of North Carolina, where 117 people have lost their lives.
- Georgia — where Aldean is from — has reported 33 deaths.
- Hundreds of missing people remain unaccounted for across the southeast, as large swaths of areas are affected by flooding, road closures and power loss.
- According to PowerOutages.Us, 276,364 people remained without power across western North Carolina, northwestern South Carolina and southeastern Georgia as of Monday.
What Are Country Stars Doing to Help With Hurricane Relief?
- Aldean was the latest in a string of country stars who've cut large checks or offered support to those impacted by the storms.
- Dolly Parton, who hails from Sevierville, Tenn., pledged $2 million in relief efforts, including a personal donation of $1 million.
- Morgan Wallen, a native of east Tennessee, made a $500,000 donation to the Red Cross to help residents of that area and the hard-hit western North Carolina region.
- Eric Church released a new song called "Darkest Hour (Helene Edit)," earmarking the proceeds of the track for relief efforts. He has been vocal about his close connection with his home state of North Carolina.
- Luke Combs — also a North Carolina native — has announced plans to help the region, too.
