Did you know that jobs in politics, even at the highest level, are not really the most lucrative? However, they will surely keep you comfortable. The American taxpayers cover the paychecks of all their elected officials, so the salaries of these officials are all public record. Let us take a look at the salary information of President Trump’s White House staff and see how much those jobs pay. We have also made some comparisons with how much the same positions were worth in the last year that Obama was still president. The salary information is accurate as of June 2019.
White House Jobs And Their Corresponding Paychecks
Donald Trump (President) — $400,000
Naturally, holding the highest office in the country comes with pretty nice financial perks, such as the $400,000 annual salary. According to CNBC, the president receives a $100,000 travel account, a yearly expense allowance of $50,000, and $19,000 for entertainment as well. When George W. Bush served as president starting in 2001, he earned this amount, and all of the presidents that came after him have been paid the same amount.
Donald Trump (President) — $400,000
Mike Pence (Vice President) — $230,700
Joe Biden used to make $230,700 every year when he was vice president, and Mike Pence also gets the same amount now. The annual salary of the Vice President has not changed since 2010. In 2019, there were talks of giving Pence a slight raise which would’ve meant he would be making $243,500 a year but the government shutdown happened so pay raises were frozen. The veep jokingly said that he is thrifty and buys two for one suits even though he has a respectable paycheck.
Mike Pence (Vice President) — $230,700
Mick Mulvaney (Acting Chief Of Staff) — $203,500
This tough job comes with a good salary. Mick Mulvaney is among a handful of current White House employees who get more than $200,000 annually. Since Trump took office, he has had two other chiefs of staff before Mulvaney took over the position in early 2019. In Obama’s eight years as President, he had five different people serving the role, with Denis McDonough being the last one and who had an annual salary of $176,461 in 2016.
Mick Mulvaney (Acting Chief Of Staff) — $203,500
Peter Navarro (Assistant To The President For Trade And Manufacturing Policy) — $183,000
Under Trump, there are 22 White House employees who earn $183,000 in a year, including Peter Navarro. The Harvard-educated Navarro has been part of Trump’s cabinet ever since the beginning and he is the top man of the president dealing with trade and manufacturing policy. Since Navarro is the first director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, which was established by Trump in 2017, there is no one with whom to compare pay.
Peter Navarro (Assistant To The President For Trade And Manufacturing Policy) — $183,000
Lindsay Reynolds (Chief Of Staff To The First Lady) — $183,000
There is also staff that works for the president’s spouse, and the head of the staff gets a nice paycheck. Since 2017, Melania Trump’s chief of staff has been Lindsay Reynolds, who previously worked as the White House Visitors Office associate director when George W. Bush was president. First Lady Melania Trump has 12 employees in her staff and they are all under Reynolds’ leadership. When Obama was president, Christina Tchen was Michelle Obama’s chief of staff and she had an annual salary of $176,461.
Lindsay Reynolds (Chief Of Staff To The First Lady) — $183,000
Andrew Olmem (Deputy Director Of The National Economic Council) — $168,000
Existing since 1993, the National Economic Council provides leadership in every aspect of economic policy. In Trump’s White House, several employees have the special assistant to the president for economic policy title, and they all get paid at least $120,000 in a year. However, Andrew Olmem, National Economic Council deputy director, gets a tidy annual salary of $168,000. Jason Miller held the same title under Obama and earned $149,654 in 2016.
Andrew Olmem (Deputy Director Of The National Economic Council) — $168,000
Larry Kudlow (Director Of The National Economic Council) — $183,000
The White House salary report says that Larry Kudlow holds the title assistant to the president for economic policy. However, he has also been working as the director of the National Economic Council since April 2018. He also served in President Reagan’s administration and used to be a host on CNBC. He makes $183,000 for directing President Trump’s economic policies. For the same job, Jeff Zients earned $176,461 under Obama.
Larry Kudlow (Director Of The National Economic Council) — $183,000
Roger L. Stone (Director Of White House Information Technology) — $168,000
Great information technology staff is practically essential in every workplace and the current IT director at the White House gets $168,000 a year. Roger L. Stone has held that job since February 2019, taking over for Chris Herndon. The position had been created by Obama, so it is among the newer positions at the White House. In 2016, David Recordon held the position under Obama and kept the tech of the office running smoothly for $121,752 a year
Roger L. Stone (Director Of White House Information Technology) — $168,000
Bethany Pritchard (Director Of White House Travel Office) — $92,400
This job seems like it should pay more. The travel office director of the White House makes travel arrangements and books accommodations for the White House press corps members joining officials on trips and receives payment in return from media outlets. Taking over as the director in April 2019, Bethany Pritchard started in Trump’s administration as a staff assistant in 2017. Pritchard’s salary as the director is a bit better compared to Ashley Tate-Gilmore’s, who served the role under Obama and made $77,625 in 2016.
Bethany Pritchard (Director Of White House Travel Office) — $92,400
Dominique Dansky Bari (Director Of Stenography) — $95,500
Apparently, one of the handfuls of positions not affected by the political alignment is the director of stenography. In 2014, Dominique Dansky Bari started working under Obama as deputy director of stenography and three years later, she became the director for Trump’s White House. She has to manage the official stenographers of the White House. They take notes on meetings and also provide the press with transcripts after official events. Under Obama, Margaret Suntum held the same title and brought home $117,846 in 2016.
Dominique Dansky Bari (Director Of Stenography) — $95,500
Rickie Niceta (Social Secretary) — $168,000
Tagged the “least controversial” position in the White House by the Washington Post, the role of social secretary involves planning and carrying out the different social events that the White House hosts. Anna “Rickie” Niceta was First lady Melania Trump’s choice for the social secretary position as Niceta has two decades of event planning experience. Niceta gets $168,000 a year, while Deesha Dyer got $119,723 in 2016 in Obama’s White House.
Rickie Niceta (Social Secretary) — $168,000
Stephanie Grisham (Press Secretary) — $183,000
One of the White House staff members with the highest pay, Stephanie Grisham, or Trump’s mouthpiece for the press, actually has quite a tough job in case you had not noticed. She is the third press secretary since Trump’s term started in 2017. After Sean Spicer’s abrupt resignation in 2017, Sarah Huckabee Sanders took over the position, and then she abruptly resigned two years later, which led to Grisham’s appointment. Josh Earnest was Obama’s Press Secretary and he earned $176,461 in 2016.
Stephanie Grisham (Press Secretary) — $183,000
Ivanka Trump And Jared Kushner (Advisor To The President And Senior Advisor) — $0
There has been praise for Trump’s lean White House payroll. Even though two of the president’s closest advisors, Ivanka Trump (his daughter and advisor to the president) and Jared Kushner (Ivanka’s husband and the president’s senior advisor), have official titles and are both listed in the salary report of the White House, there is a $0 next to their names. The two have opted to forgo a salary for their role.
Ivanka Trump And Jared Kushner (Advisor To The President And Senior Advisor) — $0
Molly Michael (Executive Assistant To The President) — $120,000
Several jobs are part of the Oval Office operations, and one of the most important is Molly Michael’s job. She holds the official title of executive assistant to the president, a position that pays $120,000 per year and essentially makes her Trump’s right-hand woman. Seven other people are also on staff and they serve as Trump’s executive assistant. They each get an annual salary of anywhere between $48,000 and $58,200.
Molly Michael (Executive Assistant To The President) — $120,000
John Bolton (Assistant To The President For National Security Affairs) — $183,000
The $183k club included John Bolton, who was Trump’s national security advisor until September 2019, when Bolton resigned from the post. The position entails giving the president information on matters relating to national security and being a member of the National Security Council (NSC), which deals with sensitive intelligence information. Susan Rice was the national security advisor in 2016 when Obama was president, and she received an annual salary of $176,461.
John Bolton (Assistant To The President For National Security Affairs) — $183,000
Anne LeHardy (Director Of Media Operations For The Office Of The First Lady) — $72,700
The East Wing or the Office of the First Lady gets its own staff, which includes communications officials. After working in the private sector, Anne LeHardy, whose experience is in production, started serving as the communications coordinator of Melania Trump in 2018. In the White House salary report released in 2019, LeHardy’s title is director of media operations for the first lady, and she earns $72,700. In 2016, no one had this exact title under Obama but Joanna Rosholm, Michelle Obama’s deputy communications director, made $78,124 per year.
Anne LeHardy (Director Of Media Operations For The Office Of The First Lady) — $72,700
Lee Ann Clark (Chief Calligrapher) — $99,400
We bet you never thought calligraphy would be a very lucrative skill in 2019. Currently, there are three calligraphers that are part of the White House staff, with the lowest-paid making $72,800 a year. The chief calligrapher, Lee Ann Clark, earns a tidy $99,400 for the beautiful writing that she does. Her work adorns official invitations, name cards, certificates, programs, and other documents. In Obama’s White House, there were three calligraphers on staff as well, and the top scribe made $100,110 in 2016.
Lee Ann Clark (Chief Calligrapher) — $99,400
Sean Doocey (Director Of Presidential Personnel) — $168,000
Vetting possible candidates for a position at the White House and making recommendations about potential candidates to the president is what the Presidential Personnel Office does. Confirmation by the U.S. Senate may be needed for the candidates. Sean Doocey makes $168,000 annually as the PPO director, and he recently showed how much power his role has when he shot down two candidates that Trump wanted to work as Homeland Security secretary. Rodin Mehrbani held the title under Obama and got $172,200 in 2016.
Sean Doocey (Director Of Presidential Personnel) — $168,000
Frank Walsh (Ethics Counsel) — $151,633
Apparently, providing the president with legal advice related to matters of ethics pays well. There are two lawyers on Trump’s staff and they are listed as ethics counsel on the payroll. The highest-earning is Frank Walsh, who is a Georgetown law graduate and was an Army Reserve judge advocate. He was an ethics counsel for the USAID or United States Agency for International Development. There were two ethics counsel lawyers on Obama’s staff as well, and the highest-paid got $123,406 in 2016.
Frank Walsh (Ethics Counsel) — $151,633
Jessica Ditto (Deputy Director of Communications) — $168,000
Any political office needs good communications staff. The White House has Jessica Ditto, who serves as deputy director of communications. She has been working for the president since Trump’s campaign in 2016. She makes $168,000 in the role. Adam Kennedy, who has the same title under Trump, earns $158,000. In Obama’s White House, it was Jennifer Psaki who held the title and she had an annual salary of $174,714 in 2016.
Jessica Ditto (Deputy Director of Communications) — $168,000
Dana Hurtik (Acting Director Of White House Visitors Office) — $95,800
There is no doubt that the White House is among the world’s most famous residences and it sees numerous tourists every year. Hosting tours as well as maintaining the facility is part of what the White House Visitors Office does. In 2017, Dana Hurtik started serving as its acting and she gets an annual salary of $95,800. Under Obama, Ellie Schafer held the title and her efforts were rewarded with $116,679 in 2016.
Dana Hurtik (Acting Director Of White House Visitors Office) — $95,800
Samuel Brown (Senior Videographer) — $72,700
President Trump’s staff includes two videographers, who probably have lots to record on video. The senior videographer is Samuel Brown (not in the picture below) and he makes $72,700 per year, while the other videographer brings home $64,400 in a year. In the Obama White House, there was only one videographer on staff. Hope Hall filmed the president’s biggest moments and she was paid $76,095 in 2016 for her work.
Samuel Brown (Senior Videographer) — $72,700
Brittany Baldwin And Theodore Royer (Speechwriter) — $120,000
The White House staff currently includes four speechwriters. Theodore Royer and Brittany Baldwin are the highest-paid speechwriters, getting an annual salary of $120,000. They each get paid that amount for making sure that President Trump has some thoughtful remarks to deliver when he has speaking engagements. When Obama was president, he had nine speechwriters on his staff, and they earned anywhere between $42,613 and $176,461 in a year in 2016.
Brittany Baldwin And Theodore Royer (Speechwriter) — $120,000
Hannah Zakaria (West Wing Receptionist) — $48,800
According to what we learned from looking through the 2019 payroll report, 60 White House staffers made less than $50,000 per year. One of them is Hannah Zakaria, who holds the unenviable position of West Wing receptionist. In September 2018, she started as a White House intern. About three months later, she got her current role. Leah Katz-Hernandez was the West Wing receptionist under Obama in 2016 and she earned $48,000.
Hannah Zakaria (West Wing Receptionist) — $48,800
Kellyanne Conway (Assistant To The President And Senior Counselor) — $183,000
Assistant to the president is a title that several White House staffers hold but only Kellyanne Conway also has the title of senior counselor. Ever since Trump’s campaign started, she has been with him and she has been rewarded for the hard work she has done. She makes $183,000 in a year. When Obama was president, he didn’t have a senior counselor on staff, so we cannot compare her salary to her predecessors, though it’s pretty clear that Trump values Conway’s contributions as she’s among the staff members with the highest pay.
Kellyanne Conway (Assistant To The President And Senior Counselor) — $183,000