Trump Complains He Gets 'No Credit' for Waiving $2.5Million Presidential Salary in Bizarre Resurfaced Clip — 'I'm the Only Schmuck'
Donald Trump chose not to pocket his millions in presidential salary.
May 22 2026, Published 3:00 p.m. ET
Donald Trump argued that he gets "no credit" for choosing not to pocket his millions in presidential salary in a resurfaced clip amid reports of his growing wealth, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
During a February trip to Rome, Georgia, the POTUS, 79, boasted about his decision to waive his salary.
'I'm the Only Schmuck'
"So, as president, I make $2,000,000 over four years, $2.5 million," he said at the time, seemingly adding the past year onto the sum. "I waived it… I'm the only president that ever waived it."
"We've had wealthy presidents before. In the history of our country, there's never been a president that waived his salary," he continued. "I'm the only schmuck. I get no credit for it."
This is not entirely true. Presidents have a fixed yearly salary of $400,000 per year. The U.S. Constitution prohibits the POTUS from being paid nothing at all, so if one wishes to give it up, it must be donated. Both Herbert Hoover and John F. Kennedy also gave away their salaries to charities or other important government departments or functions.
Trump's Wealth Has Skyrocketed
It's been reported that Trump's wealth has jumped 165 percent in the last year and a half.
Some reports have pointed out that while Trump did make the decision not to take a salary, he's branded merchandise of all sorts with the family name throughout his political career.
Aside from investments in real estate and crypto, Trump has put his name on products such as sneakers, Bibles, mobile phones, watches and more. According to The Times, his wealth has skyrocketed a whopping 165 percent in the last year and a half.
Bloomberg additionally reported in January that his wealth is somewhere between $6-7billion.
'His Own Cash Machine'
Donald Trump is rumored to be worth around $6billion.
"No modern president has jumped so directly from the world of business to the presidency as Donald Trump," campaign finance watchdog OpenSecrets said in a statement. "By keeping his assets in a family-managed trust, which he can revoke at any time, Trump and his family are in the unique position to profit directly from his public service."
As Radar previously reported, a source claimed that Trump has been "using his position as his own cash machine, and its payouts mean he is now the richest US president in history."
Trump's IRS Lawsuit and Anti-Weaponization Fund
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Trump dropped his lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for a $1.7billion anti-weaponization fund.
This comes after Trump made a deal with the IRS to drop his $10billion lawsuit against them in exchange for a $1.7billion dollar fund that would be used to pay alleged victims of government weaponization during the Biden administration.
On Friday, May 22, Trump declared he "gave up a lot of money in allowing the just announced Anti-Weaponization Fund to go forward," on his Truth Social platform.
"I could have settled my case, including the illegal release of my Tax Returns and the equally illegal BREAK IN of Mar-a-Lago, for an absolute fortune," he continued. "Instead, I am helping others, who were so badly abused by an evil, corrupt, and weaponized Biden Administration, receive, at long last."
But members of Congress immediately hit back, filing an amicus brief in an attempt to block what critics have dubbed a "slush fund."
"93 House Democrats have filed a motion to block Trump’s self-dealing settlement in his sham $10 billion IRS lawsuit, which would create a $1.7 billion slush fund for Jan. 6 rioters and political allies," the House Dems account on X said earlier this month.
