Since first taking office, President Trump has pledged to not take a salary, instead donating his entire salary to various causes each quarter.
On Tuesday, the Daily Caller reported that Trump is again giving money away, this time to help in the fight against coronavirus.
Media ignores it
“President @realDonaldTrump made a commitment to donate his salary while in office,” White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham tweeted.
“Honoring that promise and to further protect the American people, he is donating his 2019 Q4 salary to @HHSGov to support the efforts being undertaken to confront, contain, and combat #Coronavirus.”
While the president’s choice to give away his pay is unusual, it rarely gets large-scale media attention. Trump made note of that last year when he made a donation to the Department of Homeland Security.
“While the press doesn’t like writing about it, nor do I need them to, I donate my yearly Presidential salary of $400,000.00 to different agencies throughout the year, this to Homeland Security,” Trump said on Twitter. He added, “If I didn’t do it there would be hell to pay from the FAKE NEWS MEDIA.”
Gifts galore
In 2018, Trump gave his first salary to the Department of Veterans affairs. “These brave men and women have given so much to our country,” the Daily Caller quoted then-White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders as saying.
“In keeping with his campaign pledge, the president donates his salary on a quarterly basis to further important projects. Today, the president is proud to donate his 2018 first-quarter salary to the department of veterans affairs to support their caregiver programs,” she continued.
Acting VA Secretary Robert Wilkie was quoted as well. He stated, “The president’s gift underscores his promise to do all that he can for veterans, which includes supporting those who care for our veterans, not just those of us at VA, but the husbands, the wives, the families and the community caregivers who are out there, day in and day out, making life easier for those who have borne the battle.”
Last summer, USA Today reported that the Surgeon General’s office benefited from Trump’s generosity. The paper referenced a White House statement that read, “The President recognizes the important mission of the Surgeon General to protect and improve the health of all Americans, including helping to tackle the opioid epidemic and raise awareness of the dangers of e-cigarette usage among teenagers and children.”
Also quoted was Health and Human Services spokeswoman Caitlin Oakley, who declared that the president’s “decision to donate his salary is a tribute to his compassion, to his patriotism, and to his sense of duty to the American people.”
Oakley also stressed that Trump “has a sincere interest in public health issues to which HHS is going to devote his donation.”
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