Donald Trump claims he’s the ‘only President’ to donate his salary and people are divided
Topics: US News, Politics, Money, Donald Trump
Britt Jones
Featured Image Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Topics: US News, Politics, Money, Donald Trump
Donald Trump has claimed to be the only US President to ‘donate’ his presidential salary, and people online are at odds.
Now, we all know that Trump has been no stranger when it comes to talking about his money.
After he first took office in 2017, following his victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton the previous year, he began donating his earnings to US causes.
With the presidential salary at $400,000 a year, Trump made $192.30 per hour- which isn’t a bad salary at all.
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Forbes estimates he is worth $5 billion thanks to real estate and previous business ventures.
He went on to only take $1 per year from his paychecks because of a clause in Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution.
The Trump administration went on to claim that portions of his salary during his first term went to different federal agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Park Service and the Small Business Administration.
But when he took on his second term this year after he beat Kamala Harris while Joe Biden was President, some may have been unaware of this fact.
Well, until he took to his own social media platform, Truth Social, to talk about it.
Less than 24 hours ago (6 August), he wrote: “I am proud to be the only President (with the possible exception of the Late, Great George Washington) to donate my Salary. My first 'Paycheck' went to the White House Historical Association, as we make much needed renovations to the beautiful 'People’s House'.
"Great improvements and beautification is taking place at the White House, at levels not seen since its original creation. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Trump's claims to be the only President (excluding Washington) to have donated his funds caused a stir online.
When the same post was published to X by the White House’s Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, people in the comments were significantly divided.
Some were excited to know that their President was making major contributions to the nation, while others simply called it fake news.
One person even asked Grok, X’s AI assistant, which replied: “No, not all true. Trump did donate his salary in his first term and apparently now to the White House Historical Association, but he's not the only president to do so—JFK and Hoover also donated theirs fully.
"Washington accepted his salary. Renovations are ongoing but not unprecedented since the White House's creation."
As it turns out, there are numerous reports that John F Kennedy, Herbert Hoover, and George Washington all donated their salaries during their presidential terms, which means that Trump is the fourth to do so.
One person claimed: “Now tell us, Karoline, how much has Trump’s businesses made since inauguration? How much of federal funds went to pay for hotel stays at his resorts for example? Can we FOIA request this information?”
Another questioned: “He just got his first paycheck? He has been working since Jan 2025”.
Someone else snarked: “Wow that 1 million dollars he donated would cover about 1 trip to Mar a Lago to golf!! What a generous guy!!! Maybe he could donate more by golfing at his own resort less, but that would be actually doing something and we can’t have that!”
On the other hand, others were supportive of his efforts, with one writing: “Dems get into politics and on a modest salary become multimillionaires somehow. President Trump has probably lost more than most people will ever see.
“Doing this for free says a lot about not only hos character, but his overwhelming love of God and country. May God continue to bless President Trump. Thank you so much for everything.”
Someone else wrote: “Yes, this is my president," as another added: “The majority of America thanks & appreciates @POTUS.”
What do you think?