• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
US president's salary has people saying ‘it makes no sense’

Home> News> US News

Published 14:30 4 Nov 2024 GMT

US president's salary has people saying ‘it makes no sense’

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump vying for the role of 47th President of the United States

Tom Earnshaw

Tom Earnshaw

The United States of America is about to vote for its new president, with millions heading to the polls to vote either for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris to succeed Joe Biden in the Oval Office.

And while either Harris or Trump will be the metaphorical leader of the free world, they will also be - on a very basic level - an employee of the US federal government.

It is a job that is very much one that comes from a point of passion - but there's still a salary to be paid for doing what they do.

How do you quantify what the role is worth, though? Well, a lot of what comes with the job isn't to do with money.

After all, you and your family get to live in the White House for free, enjoy free meals every day, free travel around the world, and free personal security wherever you go.

Advert

But there has to be a number to go alongside this for the actual job of presiding over the USA and being the commander in chief.

How much money does the US president earn?

According to current government documents, the president of the USA earns a base salary of $400,000 a year. That's around £308,000.

It is a salary that was established by the US Congress back in 2001.

Before then, the salary had been set at $200,000 from 1969 to 2001.

Advert

In real terms, the pay has dropped significantly, with $200,000 in 1969 the equivalent of $1.66 million in 2023.

Alongside the salary, the president is given $50,000 of expenses every year, which is recouped by the government if not claimed.

Biden will cease to be POTUS in January 2025 (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Biden will cease to be POTUS in January 2025 (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The benefits continue for a very long time, though, with a federal pension given to those who leave office.

NBC reported that Trump receives $230,000 a year in pension contributions after winning the 2016 election.

Advert

The official legislation setting out the president's salary reads: "The President shall receive in full for his services during the term for which he shall have been elected compensation in the aggregate amount of $400,000 a year, to be paid monthly, and in addition, an expense allowance of $50,000 to assist in defraying expenses relating to or resulting from the discharge of his official duties.

"Any unused amount of such expense allowance shall revert to the Treasury pursuant to section 1552 of title 31, United States Code. No amount of such expense allowance shall be included in the gross income of the President.

"He shall be entitled also to the use of the furniture and other effects belonging to the United States and kept in the Executive Residence at the White House."

Pretty much the best work from home set up going (Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Pretty much the best work from home set up going (Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Any other benefits?

The president can spend $100,000 on fixing up the White House when they first move in.

Advert

They are also given a $19,000 budget for entertainment, and $100,000 in travel expenses every year.

That's on top of flying around the world in Air Force One and free healthcare.

Kamala Harris is looking to beat Trump and be the 47th POTUS (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Kamala Harris is looking to beat Trump and be the 47th POTUS (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

'It makes no sense'

Obviously, $400,000 is a hell of a lot of money. But some people reckon it is way off what a president should be earning - especially compared to other careers.

Advert

"It makes no sense that the top CEOs make $24 million on average per year but the US president gets $400k, which is 60 times less," one person said on X (formerly Twitter).

Others said the role gives them the ability to make tonnes after leaving office, with one writing: "They all make it up in speaking fees after, making ridiculous money there."

Featured Image Credit: Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post via Getty Images / Alex Wong / Getty Images

Topics: Business, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Money, Politics, US News

Tom Earnshaw
Tom Earnshaw

Tom joined LADbible Group in 2024, currently working as SEO Lead across all brands including LADbible, UNILAD, SPORTbible, Tyla, UNILAD Tech, and GAMINGbible. He moved to the company from Reach plc where he enjoyed spells as a content editor and senior reporter for one of the country's most-read local news brands, LancsLive. When he's not in work, Tom spends his adult life as a suffering Manchester United supporter after a childhood filled with trebles and Premier League titles. You can't have it all forever, I suppose.

X

@TREarnshaw

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

15 mins ago
27 mins ago
an hour ago
2 hours ago
  • Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
    15 mins ago

    Huge update on 'Son of Concorde' that will fly from London to New York in 3.5 hours

    This is NASA's version of a new supersonic plane

    News
  • PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
    27 mins ago

    Security expert reveals 'biggest threat' at Charlie Kirk's funeral

    Kirk was shot dead as he hosted an event at Utah Valley University (UVU) last week

    News
  • Anthony Devlin/Getty Images
    an hour ago

    Ricky Hatton’s ex-girlfriend Claire Sweeney pays tribute following his death aged 46

    Claire Sweeney and Ricky Hatton dated for several months last year

    News
  • Michael Ho Wai Lee/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
    2 hours ago

    Security expert explains eerie reason why Charlie Kirk's memorial is being held in a stadium

    Charlie Kirk's memorial is scheduled for this weekend and will take place at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona

    News
  • Charlie Kirk's wife makes defiant statement saying her ‘cries will echo around the world like a battle cry’
  • White House posts bizarre meme of Rosie O'Donnell after Trump threatens to remove her US citizenship
  • Trump rages at reporter who asks if he's 'going to war' with US cities
  • Politician has scathing Epstein response to Trump posting video mocking him