As we previously reported, U.S. President Donald Trump did not donate his entire salary for the purpose of rebuilding military cemeteries.
However, Trump has repeatedly followed up on his pledge to donate his presidential salary. The following list documents what government projects or departments have been chosen to benefit from Trump’s quarterly paychecks so far:
Quarter/Year | Recipient | Earmark |
Q1 2017 | Dept. of the Interior | National Park Service maintenance of a Civil War site |
Q2 2017 | Dept. of Education | A science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) camp for children |
Q3 2017 | Dept. of Health and Human Services | Public awareness campaign about opioid addiction |
Q4 2017 | Dept. of Transportation | Infrastructure grant program |
Q1 2018 | Dept. of Veterans Affairs | Caregiver programs |
Q2 2018 | U.S. Small Business Administration | “Emerging Leaders” program |
Q3 2018 | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism | Not yet announced |
Q4 2018 | Dept. of Homeland Security | Not yet announced |
Q1 2019 | Dept. of Agriculture | Outreach programs, according to a statement from USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue provided to Snopes |
Q2 2019 | Surgeon General’s Office | “An upcoming public health advisory,” USA Today reports. |
Q3 2019 | Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health | “To continue the ongoing fight against the opioid crisis,” the White House told the Associated Press |
Q4 2019 | Dept. of Health and Human Services | To help "confront, contain, and combat coronavirus." |
Q1 2020 | Dept. of Health and Human Services |
To "develop new therapies for treating and preventing coronavirus." |
To be clear, this list documents announcements — not receipts — of Trump's donations.
CNN reports that “federal regulations prohibit agencies from accepting donated funds unless Congress grants authority to the agency to accept the donation. Without congressional authorization, donated money is deposited into the general fund of the Department of Treasury.” We contacted the Department of Treasury to find out if documentation for any such deposits is publicly available and have yet to hear back.
We will continue to update this list as more details become available.