President-elect Donald Trump is refusing to accept the presidential salary again — just as he did in his first term — he told NBC’S Kristen Welker.
When asked if he was planning to take the presidential salary, Trump said, “I’m not going to accept a salary, no.”
“I’m giving up a lot of money. You know? You know, it amazed me that, and maybe this isn’t right, but other than George Washington — and they’re not sure about that — every President has accepted their salary, except me,” Trump said.
Welker then asked if Trump accepted the pension, to which the President-elect said, “I don’t think I accepted anything.”
“The President gets about $450,000 a year, and I didn’t take it,” he said, adding, “By the way, I got no credit for that. That’s ok.”
“Well, I am asking you about it for that reason, and I think it’s notable, you’re not going to accept a salary,” Welker responded.
“I didn’t, and I’m not going to, and I don’t believe I got any credit for that, but I just feel — it’s, for me, it’s a nice thing to do,” Trump said, expressing surprise that other presidents have not done that.
“I was surprised, not one president has done that. I would have assumed Roosevelt would not accept the salary or Kennedy — you know, the Kennedy family is rich,” he added.
WATCH:
AMAZING: President-elect Donald Trump announces he will REFUSE the presidential salary of $400,000.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 9, 2024
"I'm not gonna accept a salary, no."
"I didn't take it [the first time]. By the way, I got no credit for that, but that's okay."
"I didn't, and I'm not going to. I just feel… pic.twitter.com/bI7oLzPk15
Trump also declined the presidential salary in his first term, giving it away quarterly to various agencies.
In 2017, Trump donated his quarterly salaries to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, Department of Transportation, and the Education Department, as Breitbart News reported.
In 2018, Trump donated his third-quarter salary to a federal agency that researches alcoholism — something near and dear to his heart, as his older brother Fred Trump Jr. suffered from alcoholism and died at the young age of 43.
As another example, Trump’s first quarter salary in 2019 went to the Department of Homeland Security:
While the press doesn’t like writing about it, nor do I need them to, I donate my yearly Presidential salary of $400,000.00 to different agencies throughout the year, this to Homeland Security. If I didn’t do it there would be hell to pay from the FAKE NEWS MEDIA! pic.twitter.com/xqIGUOwh4x
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2019
And in 2020, Trump donated one of his quarterly salaries to the National Park Service to “help repair and restore our GREAT National Monuments”:
I promised YOU I would not take a dime of salary as your President. I donate the entire $400,000! It is my honor to give $100,000 to @NatlParkService to help repair and restore our GREAT National Monuments. So important to our American History! Thank You!! pic.twitter.com/4ETkUZ9yUf
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2020
Trump originally promised voters that he would forgo the presidential salary when he was running in September 2015, and he has kept that promise.
