What was the presidential salary during Donald Trump's terms (2017-2021) and in 2025?
Executive summary
The statutory presidential salary has been $400,000 per year since 2001 and remained the official compensation during Donald Trump’s first term (2017–2021) and when he returned to office in 2025 (the office’s pay cannot be changed mid-term without congressional action) [1] [2] [3]. In addition to the $400,000 base, the president receives a $50,000 annual expense allowance, a $100,000 non‑taxable travel account and a $19,000 entertainment account under current practice [1].
1. The number on the pay stub: $400,000 and why it stayed that way
Congress set the presidential salary at $400,000 effective in 2001, and federal statute still specifies that amount as the president’s annual compensation; the text of the U.S. Code and government summaries continue to show the $400,000 figure [2] [1]. The Constitution’s Article II principle and implementing practice mean Congress must pass legislation to change the salary and any change cannot take effect during a sitting president’s term, which explains why the $400,000 rate applied through Trump’s first term and into 2025 absent new congressional action [1] [3].
2. Trump’s pay practices while in office (2017–2021): official pay vs. personal choice
Legally, Donald Trump was paid the $400,000 presidential salary during his first term in office (2017–2021); he publicly pledged to forgo the salary and in practice donated the quarterly checks to federal agencies and programs while serving as president, a choice reported in multiple outlets [4] [5]. Independent fact-checking records and contemporary reporting documented the donations but do not change the legal reality that the executive compensation remained $400,000 per year while he was president [6] [4].
3. The 2025 presidency and the salary picture today
When Donald Trump began his new term on January 20, 2025, the statutory salary did not automatically reset or change and remained $400,000 per year; public reference sources listing current government pay continued to show the $400,000 figure into 2025 and into early 2026 summaries of federal pay scales [1] [7]. Reports from mainstream outlets in 2025 noted that Trump again indicated he would forgo a salary, but those statements are separate from the statutory compensation set by Congress: donation or refusal is a personal decision and does not alter the official pay rate absent legislative action [8] [5].
4. Benefits, accounting and the limits of reporting
Beyond base pay, the presidential compensation package as summarized in public records includes a $50,000 expense allowance, a $100,000 non‑taxable travel account and a $19,000 entertainment account—items routinely cited in overviews of presidential pay and benefits and referenced in government descriptions [1]. Reporting documents the amount and the practice of some presidents donating pay, but publicly available sources do not always reconcile every quarterly donation with federal accounting lines; those choices affect where funds are reallocated but do not legally change the salary set by statute [4] [5].
5. What would it take to change the salary—and why that matters
To alter the president’s $400,000 salary, Congress must pass a law; the Constitution and current statutory practice prevent a change from taking effect in the middle of an incumbent’s term, which protects against partisan mid‑term pay adjustments but also means the salary tends to remain fixed for four‑year stretches unless lawmakers act [3] [1]. Public discussions about presidents “working for free” are factual about personal donations or refusals but can obscure that the legal, statutory compensation and associated allowances remain in place until Congress enacts a change [6] [3].