If you’re upset that your job isn’t paying enough, you can now take comfort in the fact that the President of the United States will only make a $1 salary.
Ever since Donald Trump’s historic election victory last Tuesday, he has remained relatively quiet on interviews and media appearances. That is, until this past Sunday night’s episode of “60 Minutes."
In the episode, host Leslie Stahl asked Trump about everything from White House transition plans to his election-night phone call with Hillary Clinton.
In one of the questions, Stahl asked, “Are you going to take the salary, the president’s salary?”
Trump responded, “Well, I’ve never commented on this, but the answer is no. I think I have to by law take $1, so I’ll take $1 a year. But I don’t even know what [the salary] is.
When Stahl answered that Trump would be giving up a $400,000 year, he replied, “No, I’m not going to take the salary. I’m not taking it.”
Donald Trump may refuse to take a president's salary. If so, he'll join the salary-rejecting ranks of George Washington, Hoover, and JFK. pic.twitter.com/bhFjQEYKU0
— Andrew Mullins (@AndrewWMullins) November 14, 2016
It’s worth noting that Trump stated in Sept. 2015 that he wouldn’t take a salary as president, so this didn’t come completely out of the blue.
A $400,000 salary is just a drop in the bucket for a multi-billionaire (approximately .0001% of his net worth), but Trump isn’t the first mega-rich president to turn down a presidential salary.
Should Trump indeed turn down his salary, he will join the company of George Washington (worth $525 million in today’s dollars), Herbert Hoover (worth $75 million in today’s dollars), and John F. Kennedy (worth about $1 billion in today’s dollars) – all extremely rich presidents who felt that a price tag should not be put on the public service of a president.
For voters, actions speak louder than words, but for now, this gesture shows that Trump is willing to put his refusal for money where his mouth is.
You can watch the whole episode here.