How do Joe Biden’s presidential earnings compare to other recent presidents like Trump and Obama?
Executive summary
Joe Biden’s personal earnings while president were dominated by the standard presidential salary and modest outside income: the Bidens reported about $620,000 in pre-tax income in 2023 and have an estimated net worth in the low single‑digit millions to about $10 million depending on the outlet [1] [2]. By contrast, Donald Trump’s widely reported billionaire status (Forbes: about $6.3 billion) and Barack Obama’s post‑presidential earnings (estimates around $70 million in some outlets) put them far above Biden on net‑worth measures, even though all presidents receive the same $400,000 federal salary while in office [3] [2] [1].
1. The salary baseline: same pay for every president
Federal law sets the presidential salary at $400,000 per year; that baseline applies to Biden, Trump (during his terms) and Obama when they were president, so differences in “earnings” across presidents mainly reflect outside income and post‑presidential activities rather than the official salary [3] [2].
2. Biden’s reported income and net worth: modest presidential earnings plus other streams
White House disclosures and reporting show the Bidens earned roughly $620,000 before taxes in 2023; outlets estimate Joe and Jill Biden’s combined net worth in a range that some put near $7–10 million, derived from salaries, pensions, book royalties and speaking or teaching fees [1] [2]. Available sources do not mention a detailed year‑by‑year breakdown of all Biden’s presidential‑era income beyond the 2023 figure [2].
3. Trump’s wealth dwarfs typical presidential earnings
Media reporting and wealth trackers place Donald Trump’s net worth far above that of Biden and Obama — Forbes cited roughly $6.3 billion — meaning Trump’s personal wealth and income sources (real estate, businesses, licensing) make his “earnings” and financial position qualitatively different from career politicians who rely more on salaries and book deals [3] [1]. Sources note that even when presidents earn the same salary, pre‑ and post‑presidential assets matter far more for comparisons [3].
4. Obama as the high‑earning modern president outside Trump
Barack Obama’s post‑presidential income from book deals, speaking engagements and other work has made him considerably wealthier than his former vice president: some outlets estimate Obama’s net worth near $70 million, roughly an order of magnitude above Biden in those reports [3]. This shows that democratic office itself does not equalize lifetime earnings; career choices after leaving office do.
5. Why “earnings” comparisons can mislead: salary vs. net worth vs. macroeconomic claims
Comparing presidents by personal earnings or net worth mixes different categories: official salary (identical), taxable income in a given year (e.g., the Bidens’ $620,000 in 2023) and cumulative net worth (Forbes/celebrity estimates) [2] [1]. Separately, political debate often conflates a president’s personal finances with the administration’s economic record (job gains, inflation, wage trends), which require different data and attribution; fact‑checkers warn about misleading graphics and outdated or incorrect figures when comparing administrations [4] [5].
6. Context from economic record reporting: earnings vs. national indicators
Analyses of macroeconomic performance under Biden, Trump and Obama focus on job gains, wages and inflation rather than personal paychecks. For example, reporting credits Biden’s term with substantial job gains (+16.1 million jobs by January 2025 in one tally) even as inflation and wage pressures complicate household finances; those measures are about national economic outcomes, not presidential take‑home pay [6] [7].
7. Competing perspectives and caveats in sources
Sources diverge on emphasis: finance and celebrity outlets focus on net worth and tax returns [2] [1], while policy and fact‑checking outlets scrutinize economic indicators and the accuracy of comparisons [5] [4]. Readers should note potential agendas: wealth trackers highlight market valuations and brand value (benefiting or harming political narratives), and partisan or advocacy pieces may cherry‑pick figures to favor one president’s record [8] [4].
8. Bottom line for readers seeking a fair comparison
If your question is “who earned more while president?” the answer is simple: official salaries were the same ($400,000) and Biden’s reported household income in 2023 was about $620,000 before taxes [3] [2]. If your question is “who is wealthier overall?” Trump and, in many reports, Obama are far wealthier than Biden based on post‑presidential earnings and asset valuations [3] [1]. For claims linking a president’s pay to national economic performance, available sources show that those are separate debates and require metric‑by‑metric comparisons, not personal income figures [5] [6].
Limitations: this summary relies only on the provided reporting and does not include tax‑return line‑by‑line analysis, confidential financial disclosures, or later updates beyond these sources; available sources do not mention more recent Clintion‑era comparisons or private accounting audits in detail [1] [2].