The President of the United States makes $400,000 annually, before taxes. During his 2016 campaign, Donald Trump
promised to donate his salary if elected President. It was a promise, even his critics acknowledge, that Trump was keeping.
The presidential salary is a requirement of the U.S.
Constitution in Article II, Section 1
, Clause 7 and the specific amount is set by Congress. Presidents are not legally allowed to decline their salary, but can donate it to organizations of their choosing.
Trump is the first president since John F. Kennedy to donate his salary. Both
John F. Kennedy and
Herbert Hoover donated their presidential salaries to charitable causes. According to congressional records,
George Washington initially declined his $25,000 salary, but Congress wouldn’t let him.