EXPRESS :
Following his US presidential election win earlier this week, questions have been raised about whether the billionaire will accept the £320,000 ($400,000) salary the US President is entitled to.
At an event in Rochester, New Hampshire, in September 2015, Trump announced: “The first thing I’m going to do is tell you that if I’m elected president, I’m accepting no salary, okay? That’s not a big deal for me.”
Later that week in a Twitter Q&A session a similar question was asked, to which Trump replied: “As far as the salary is concerned – I won’t take even one dollar. I am totally giving up my salary if I become president.”
If he turns down the £320,000 salary, Trump will become only the third President in US history not to accept the hefty sum. Herbert Hoover, who was elected in 1929, had made a fortune from mining before turning to politics while John F. Kennedy came from a renowned wealthy family and became president in 1961.
As a result, both presidents chose to donate their salaries to charity. Although Trump has not made any announcements regarding his salary since winning the election, he is expected to stick to his word and refuse the sizeable pay-packet.
Many questions have been raised about how much the President-elect is actually worth – on Friday, Forbes estimated his net worth to be around £2.9 billion ($3.7 billion), although Trump has previously claimed that he is worth “in excess of £7.6 billion”.
The whopping salary is significantly more than the wage offered to the British Prime Minister, with Theresa May taking home £143,462 per annum.
News of Trump’s victory in the US presidential election on Tuesday shocked the world and while some welcomed the news, there were protests and riots in cities across America. Trump met with outgoing US President Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday to start transition talks, an event the President-elect described as a “great honour”. During the election campaign Trump repeatedly vowed to demolish Obama’s legacy while the President described the Republican candidate as “uniquely unqualified” for the role of US President. Despite their history, both men appear keen to work together to ensure the best course of action for America’s future.
