Oprah has responded to the online backlash she received alongside Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson for their Maui Fund. Oprah and The Rock appeared in a video together requesting that the general public donate to a fund that would go directly to victims of the Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii wildfire. They contributed $10 million of their own money and asked the public to give whatever else they could. Many people saw this as a “tone-deaf” gesture because Oprah is a billionaire and The Rock is worth around $800 million. They are ridiculously wealthy and ask the public to donate money that they probably don’t have.
The donation ask happened after President Biden announced that wildfire victims would get a one-time payment of $700 per household. The Biden Administration is also getting criticized for its response due to the fact that Ukraine has received billions of dollars of taxpayer funding in the war effort against the Russian Federation. The school of thought here is that so much taxpayer money gets wasted on non-American efforts and if that wasn’t happening, then there would be no need to crowdfund disaster relief.
SOURCES:
Oprah Winfrey shocked over Maui fire donation backlash
Oprah addresses backlash she and Dwayne Johnson have received over Maui fundraiser | Washington Examiner
Fans Defend Dwayne Johnson, Oprah Winfrey After Maui Fundraiser Anger
