While most people think being a politician is among the most lucrative job positions, that is untrue. However, this doesn’t mean that, as a part of the White House staff, you will have a tough time making it from month to month.
In fact, the salaries provided by tax-paying Americans do allow for a comfortable life. In this article, we will examine the numbers, focusing on the employees during Trump’s administration and taking a glimpse of how it was during his predecessor’s administration (Barack Obama).
President Donald J. Trump
Image Source: @Saul Loeb / Getty Images
Being President of the US is a huge responsibility. Not only is it the highest office in the nation, but it is also considered one of the most important positions in global politics. With this in mind, we weren’t surprised to find that it is highlighted by several financial benefits, such as an annual salary of $400,000.
It also allows a $19,000 entertainment budget and a $100,000 travel budget. Believe it or not, the President of the US also has a hefty annual allowance of $50,000. We took these reports from a CNBC study posted in July 2012.
John Czwartaki
While many people may not have heard of John, he plays an important role in stakeholder engagement and strategy, as he was the senior advisor to the chief of staff.
It is unbelievable that Mulvaney, who was Czwartaki’s boss, was earning less than Czwartaki. Not only that, but he was also earning a higher annual salary than Vice President Mike Pence. Czwartaki was reportedly earning $239,595 annually.
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Vice President Mike Pence
Since 2010, the vice president position has offered an annual salary of $230,700, which is exactly what Mike Pence has been entitled to for the past four years. While he should have been subjected to a raise in 2019, the government shut down then, and his raise was canceled. Still, the sum he gets every year is not to be ignored.
John Mulvaney
As we mentioned above, being in the strategy and stakeholder engagement sector is quite rewarding. The chief of staff’s advisor ranks just behind President Trump when it comes to annual salary. Mick Mulvaney, the man responsible for hiring and organizing, earned an attractive sum of $203,500 yearly.
Mark Meadows
As the fourth chief of staff under Trump’s administration, Meadows took office in March 2020. Mulvaney’s salary was quite impressive, given that he was just one of the few with an annual salary above $200,000. However, Meadows’s $183,000 is still quite good.
Image Source: @J. Scott Applewhite / AP Images
John Bolton
As a man responsible for advising Trump on relations with Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran, Bolton was one of the highest-paid employees in the White House (from 2018 to 2019), earning $183,000 annually.
Peter Navarro
Trade and manufacturing is one of the most important sectors of the national economy, which is why we weren’t surprised that the current assistant, Peter Navarro, receives an annual salary of $183,000. We can’t compare his earnings to anyone else on this board, given that he is the first man to take the role of Assistant for Trade and Manufacturing (established in 2017).
Stephanie Grisham
Under Trump’s presidency, more than 20 employees are earning the hefty sum of $183,000 on an annual basis. Grisham assumed this office as the Chief of Staff for Melania Trump (the First Lady) in April 2020. Before that, she was the White House secretary. In that role, she received a salary increase of $6,539.
Stephen Miller
As a man who is both the Senior Advisor for Policy and an Assistant to President Trump, it is expected that Stephen earns a salary set at $183,000. Frankly, if you know a thing or two about the popular “Mexican wall”, then you will know that he was among the main agitators of this idea.
Kellyanne Conway
The former Assistant and Senior Consultant to President Trump, Kellyanne, received an annual salary of $183,000 from 2017 to August 31, 2020. As the campaign manager for Donald Trump in 2016, she made a number of public appearances that increased her popularity. She was expected to assume one of the best-paid offices during the President’s administration.
Stephanie Grisham (Again)
As a former Press Secretary and Assistant to President Trump, it is not surprising that Stephanie earned $183,000 on an annual basis. Currently, she is Melania’s first spokesperson, and before that, she was the deputy chief of staff for the First Lady.
Mercedes Schlapp
Over the past year, she has been focused on Trump’s re-election campaign, but before that, Mercedes was the Senior Advisor for Strategic Communications and an Assistant to President Trump. With this in mind, the sum of $183,000 on an annual basis was to be expected.
Brooke Rollins
Assuming the office of the President’s Assistant in the sector of Strategic Initiatives, Brooke is another employee earning an annual salary of $183,000. According to her statements and what we could see during her past three years in office, her idea is to apply the private sector solutions to national problems.
Pat Cipollone
Pat Cipollone is known as “Mr. Attorney” because he assumed the office of Counsel to the President. He earns $183,000 yearly and advises Donald J. Trump on all legal matters.
Emma Doyle
As another woman who was the Deputy Chief of Staff and an Assistant to the President, Emma Doyle earned the standard hefty salary of $183,000. She was closely connected to Mulvaney, who, as we mentioned above, had a salary of $203,500.
Position of Executive Clerk
One of the most important job positions in the White House would earn you $165,417 annually. The Executive Clerk is a mediator between the documents that go from Congress to the president and vice versa. Not only that, but the office also has the task of reviewing and preparing everything that arrives, including bills and executive orders.
Deputy Director of the Economic Council
The position that Francis J. Brooke, Jr. currently assumes earns $158,000 annually. During Obama’s presidency, Jason Miller made $149,654 yearly, and Andrew Olmen made $168,000 before Francis took office. Thus, his annual salary is the average for this position. This council was founded in 1993 and deals with all questions related to the economy and relevant policy (the average employee salary in this Council is set at $120,000).
Roger L. Stone
Roger is responsible for White House information technology, so it is not surprising that his salary is set at $168,000 yearly. The position was founded during Obama’s second administration, and David Recordon was earning just above $121,000 at this office, which is significantly lower than the current pay.
White House Travel Office Director
Along with consultants and assistants, one of the most important job positions is the one related to organizing international travel and accommodations for the president and his staff. Ashley Tate-Gilmore was the woman holding this office during Obama’s presidency, earning just above $77,000. Bethany Pritchard currently assumes this role, earning a significantly higher amount at $106,000 per year.
Dominique Dansky
Believe it or not, one of the positions that isn’t directly related to whether you are a supporter/member of the ruling party is the Director of Stenography. This job position involves handling all the messages and transcripts of past and future meetings. Given that it involves a lot more effort and responsibility than you may think, Dominique Dansky’s current pay is $98,900, which is more than justified.
Rickie Niceta
During the last year of Obama’s presidency, the woman who was in the position of social secretary, Deesha Dyer, earned $119,723, which is more than respectable. However, this job became even more lucrative when Trump became president.
Today, Rickie Niceta, whom Melania Trump chose, earns $168,000 annually. The best thing about this position is that you don’t have to get involved in many controversial matters related to almost all other White House offices. As long as you have some previous experience as an event planner, you are more than capable!
Speechwriter
When you are a president, giving a speech is expected often. On the other hand, writing it is nowhere near as easy. For this reason, the White House hires a number of experienced speechwriters to take care of this matter and ensure that the public feels honored to have an opportunity to be present during such a speech. The pay for this position is $106,000 on average, but it goes up to $120,000.
Chief Calligrapher
If you have experience and enjoy calligraphy, then this position is just right for you. Believe it or not, a Chief Calligrapher can earn up to $99,400, which should allow for a comfortable life.
However, you have to understand that, in this job position, you are responsible for all hand-written documents, letters, and invitations, which can get quite exhausting. There were numerous cases where the Chief Calligrapher needed to address more than 25,000 envelopes, which took a lot of patience, calmness, and energy.
Video Production Director
Last but certainly not least on our list of the best-paid White House job positions is the Director of Video Production. Once again, this involves a lot of work and previous experience. What is the salary? It all depends on whether you are a video editor or a production director, but it varies between $86,000 and $89,000.