President Donald Trump has made history for many reasons − but in the financial world, he is the first billionaire to be elected president.
Like other presidents before him (see below), the billionaire famously donated his presidential salary during his first term. News reports state he’ll do the same for his second.
What is Trump’s presidential salary? How much do US presidents make? Keep reading for more information.
What is the salary for US president?
In a 1999 House hearing before a subcommittee on government management, information and technology, the salary of the president of the United States was discussed and then later raised. At the time, when Bill Clinton was president, the presidential salary was $200,000 and had not been changed since 1969, when it was $100,000.
According to hearing notes from the May 24, 1999, meeting on govinfo.gov, Stephen Horn, a former representative in California from 1993 to 2003 and chairman of the subcommittee, said: “I’m sure that to most Americans a salary of that amount seems like a lot of money. It is. However, it is pay for one of the most difficult, demanding and important jobs on the face of the Earth.”
There were talks of increasing the U.S. presidential salary in 1999, which did happen, although it did not take effect until 2001, after Clinton’s presidency.
The president salary had doubled from $200,000 to $400,000.
The Constitution states that the president’s salary cannot be changed during his term in office.
Presidential salary: How much does a US president make per hour, per month?
With the presidential salary at $400,000 a year, we divided that total by 52 because that is the number of weeks per year and got $7,692.30 per week.
At $7,692.30 per week in a 40-hour work week, we divided that total by 40 and got $192.30 per hour.
This does not include the extra expenses allotted for a president such as travel and entertainment.
What is Trump’s presidential salary? How much did Obama, Biden make as president?
Like former presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Donald Trump makes $400,000 a year as president. He made the same salary during his first term as 45th president of the U.S. from 2017 to 2021.
What was George Washington’s presidential salary?
When President George Washington took office in 1789, the presidential salary was established at $25,000 a year.
According to the CPI inflation calculator on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics site, $25,000 in January 1925 would amount to roughly $459,000 in January 2025. (The calculator dates back to 1913.)
Did Donald Trump donate his presidential salary?
Donald Trump donated his $400,000 salary during his term as 45th president of the United States. But because presidents are required to take compensation for their work − Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution − Trump takes $1 each year from his paychecks, a 2020 USA TODAY Fact Check article on Trump and salary states.
The Trump administration said portions of his salary during his first term went to various federal agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Park Service and the Small Business Administration, according to a 2023 USA TODAY story.
Which presidents donated their salary?
In addition to Trump, former Presidents John F. Kennedy and Herbert Hoover, who were both wealthy before they took office, donated all of their earnings.
Will Trump donate his president’s salary in 2025?
In addition to making $400,000 a year as U.S. president, Trump receives $50,000 for expenses, $100,000 for travel and $19,000 for entertainment.
News reports show Trump had said he would forgo his salary again during his second term. According to a July 3, 2025, Fox News story, eight other top members of his White House staff do not take a salary.
Contributing: Molly Stellino and Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: What is Trump’s presidential salary? How much do US presidents make an hour? We did the math for you
Reporting by Jennifer Sangalang, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
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