President Donald Trump is donating his third-quarter salary to help combat the nationwide opioid epidemic.
A White House official said on Nov. 26 that Trump has given the $100,000 he would be paid for the quarter to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health.
The office oversees federal public health offices and programs, including the surgeon general’s office.
The White House said the funds are being earmarked “to continue the ongoing fight against the opioid crisis.”
Trump has made tackling the misuse of opioids an administration priority. More than 70,000 Americans died in 2017 from drug overdoses—192 a day—the bulk of them involving opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Trump has said his brother Fred Trump’s experience with alcoholism has helped drive him to fight the opioid crisis.“I had a brother, Fred. Great guy, best-looking guy, best personality, much better than mine,” Trump said during a speech in 2017. “But he had a problem. He had a problem with alcohol.” He said Fred would tell him, “Don’t drink, don’t drink,” and thus he has never had a drink.
