(DailyChive.com) – Donald Trump, now the President-elect once again, has confirmed that he won’t accept the presidential salary during his second term, sticking to the practice he began in his first presidency. Speaking to NBC’s Kristen Welker, Trump made it clear: “I’m not going to accept a salary, no.”
Trump elaborated on this decision, saying, “I’m giving up a lot of money. You know, it amazed me that, other than George Washington — and they’re not even sure about that — every President has accepted their salary, except me.”
When pressed by Welker on whether he also declined the presidential pension, Trump said, “I don’t think I accepted anything.” He added, “The President gets about $450,000 a year, and I didn’t take it. By the way, I got no credit for that. That’s okay.”
Welker acknowledged his point, noting it was a rare move, and Trump doubled down on his view. “I just feel — it’s, for me, a nice thing to do. I was surprised not one president has done that. I would have thought Roosevelt or Kennedy wouldn’t, especially Kennedy — the Kennedy family is rich.”
Trump first pledged to forgo the salary back in 2015 when he was campaigning, and he kept his word during his first term. He donated his quarterly paychecks to various government agencies and causes. In 2017, for example, Trump’s donations supported the Department of Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, the Department of Transportation, and the Education Department.
In 2018, he donated a quarter of his salary to an agency researching alcoholism — a personal cause for Trump, as his older brother Fred Jr. battled alcoholism and passed away at 43. Another donation in 2019 helped fund the Department of Homeland Security.
By 2020, Trump continued the trend, using part of his salary to aid the National Park Service in repairing national monuments, a cause he described as helping to preserve America’s heritage.
While his decision has sparked mixed reactions, Trump appears committed to making symbolic gestures like this. It’s clear he takes pride in this stance, even as he notes, “I didn’t get any credit for that.”
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