US President Donald Trump claimed that he chose not to draw his presidential salary, which is $400,000 annually. A full term means millions of dollars in income, which Trump said he waived.
Recently speaking in Rome, Georgia, Trump said he is the only president to waive his salary. 'I waived it. I'm the only president that ever waived it. We've had wealthy presidents before. In the history of our country, there's never been a president that waved his salary. I'm the only schmuck. I get no credit for it,' he had stated.
Trump added that the amount is not small. 'It's still a couple of million bucks. It's not peanuts,' he had said.
The billionaire also shared a screenshot of a post by a social media influencer on Truth Social listing how much of taxpayer dollars the past 10 US presidents took as salary, claiming: 'Trump: $0.00, Biden: $1.6 Million, Obama: $3.2 million, W. Bush: $3.2 million.
While the social media influencer did not cite a source, the figures for Barack Obama, Joe Biden and George W. Bush appear to be calculated on the $400,000 annual presidential salary. Both Obama and Bush served eight years, earning $3.2 million, while Biden's four-year term totaled $1.6 million.
However, media outlets like The New York Times reported that John F. Kennedy and even Herbert Hoover donated their presidential salaries to charities because they are among the 'wealthiest to serve in the role.'
At the same time, economist Peter Schiff alleged that Trump made billions by 'exploiting' his power as president.
'Why would he need a salary? That's peanuts,' he wrote. Schiff, who had supported Trump in 2024, added that the president gave up his 'tiny salary' as a 'publicity stunt' to create an impression that 'he is not in for the money.'
However, in a September 2025 report, Forbes reported that Trump's net worth rose by $3 billion in a single year.
Trump's Investment Portfolio Has It All
According to Forbes, Trump has a net worth of $6.4 billion. A US Office of Government Ethics report in 2025 revealed that Trump makes considerable money every year from licensing fees, royalties, and brands spanning luxury items, furniture, clothing, textiles, publishing, footwear, construction, and wine.
The Miami-based Trump Endeavor 12 LLC, which owns several golf courses and a resort, generated $110 million, while his Mar-a-Lago Club brought in over $50 million in resort-related revenue. Rents from his diverse portfolio of commercial properties, including 40 Wall Street, also add millions of dollars to his annual income.
He has a diverse portfolio reportedly across four investment accounts with an unending list of investments in stocks, bonds, and Treasury bills.
From significant investments in the 'magnificent 7' stocks to holdings in over 1,100 companies across healthcare, banking, airlines, AI, telecom, automotive, engineering, apparel, utilities, e-commerce, energy, defence, transportation, crypto exchanges, and semiconductors, Trump's portfolio has it all.
As a result, he can easily dodge market volatility through diversification, grow his capital through value appreciation, and earn millions of dollars in dividends from just holding these stocks.
Meanwhile, Trump reportedly also has up to $500,000 in gold bar investments and $50 million parked in money market funds. Furthermore, he has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in close to 1,000 different types of bonds, including municipal bonds and Treasury bills that offer him a steady cash flow year-round, amounting to millions of dollars every year.
