President Donald Trump has confirmed that he will once again donate his entire presidential salary to various worthy causes like he did during his first term.
“I do something that no other president has done, they think maybe George Washington has done. I contribute my entire salary to the government, back to the government. And I’m doing it again,” Trump said last weekend, according to the Epoch Times.
“It’s a substantial salary. It’s a half a million dollars a year or $550,000 a year, four years—a couple of million dollars,” he added.
Trump donated all his salary during his first term to various charities.
“Currently, the president receives a salary of $400,000 in addition to expense reimbursement, a travel account, and an entertainment budget totaling an additional $169,000. $450,000 of that amount must be paid to the president by law but what the president does with it is up to them,” the paper reported.
Washington did not exactly “donate” his presidential salary. Early in his presidency he simply refused to accept a salary. But, soon into his eight-year presidency, he did accept a $25,000 annual salary. Still, he paid for all expenses, such as travel, lodging, and the like, out of his own pocket.
Only two other presidents donated their salaries. Herbert Hoover never accepted a dime and donated his salary to charity because he was already a multi-millionaire when he won his election. And John F. Kennedy, who was also from an ultra-rich family, also donated his salaries, though he did make use of the presidential expense account paid from by the federal treasury.
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