Way back in September 2015, Donald Trump announced that if he was elected president of the United States, he would not accept any salary for the job. We don't know if he's actually planning to keep that promise, but if he sticks to his word, how much would he be giving up?
According to The U.S. Code, the president is paid $400,000 a year and is also given an additional $50,000 for extra expenses. That alone sounds like a nice paycheck, but of course, for the duration of his term, the prez also has his living arrangements taken care of — you might be familiar with that stately white house that U.S. presidents call home — and some baller transportation in Air Force One.
This annual $400,000 salary actually hasn't been around all that long. The bill that doubled the presidential salary was passed into law in 2001. Business Insider reports that before this increase, there have been four other pay raises since George Washington took office. Back then, in 1789, Washington was earning about $25,000 a year. Sure, that was a lot back then, but come on, he didn't even get the house.
If Trump does decide to stick to his word and turn down his presidential salary, he'll be in good company among a few past presidents. According to Mic, John F. Kennedy gave all of his earnings to charity and Herbert Hoover put his paycheck toward charities and additional salary for his staff. It makes sense for Trump to forgo his presidential earnings since, like JFK and Hoover, he will enter office with considerable personal wealth. No matter what Trump ends up doing, we can at least be pretty sure Mike Pence is taking his $237,700.
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