Trump donates first-quarter salary to National Park Service

As has been said in more than a few threads, Donald Trump can do what he wants to with his pay check. Now we know what he'll do.

Reuters

President Donald Trump, who made a fortune in real estate before running for political office, has decided to donate his first-quarter salary of $78,333 to the National Park Service, the White House announced on Monday. During the presidential campaign, Trump said he would donate his $400,000 annual salary if he were elected.

"That's no big deal for me," he told a town-hall style meeting in September 2015.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, whose agency oversees the 100-year-old protector of 417 national parks, monuments and other sites, said he was "thrilled" at Trump's decision.

"We are going to dedicate and put it against the infrastructure on our nation's battlefields," Zinke said, appearing alongside White House spokesman Sean Spicer at a daily briefing. "We are about $229 million behind in deferred maintenance on our battlefields alone," Zinke said.

He continues to live up to his campaign promises. Unbelievable actually. A career politician would have forgotten that particular promise. Say what you want, you have to give him credit for doing this. I doubt Hillary would even consider anything like this even though she's an multi-millionaire.

Good for him. I havent been thrilled with him so far but this is a good, classy move. Most of what Ive disagreed with has been his interaction with mexican immigrants, his seemingly anti-environment positions, and his old school drug war approach.

And twitter. Twitter is for teenage girls. He could at least record youtube addresses.

Well, that's somewhat close to his actual promise of not taking a salary at all. OR a 1 dollar salary if required.
But it's not what he promised.
Ding! he gets the deduction though.

Well, good for him.

That's admirable, ahem, seeing as though he wants to cut the budget for the Interior Department, which oversees The National Park Service, and seems to want to allow energy development (drilling) on federal land (which included national parks).

Tell me again why I'm not bowing in praise at this futile, symbolic gesture.

originally posted by: SirHardHarry
Well, good for him.

That's admirable, ahem, seeing as though he wants to cut the budget for the Interior Department, which oversees The National Park Service, and seems to want to allow energy development (drilling) on federal land (which included national parks).

Tell me again why I'm not bowing in praise at this futile, symbolic gesture.

No reason to bow. I doubt this is what defines his presidency but at least he's living up to promises. He's really trying hard, to a fault, to live up to what got him elected.

a reply to: spacedoubt

Really? Hasn't lived up to the promise? Do you mind explaining?

Fake news?

Just saying!!

Okay, fair play to him, let's all get rich off the Trumpster.

a reply to: LogicalGraphitti

I guess you don't see the very sad irony to which my first post referred.

That's quite fine.

Isn't the National Park Service one of the govt. Departments Trump wants to defund and eliminate under Department of the Interior. Typical Cheeto jesus!!!

www.usatoday.com...

a reply to: liveandlearn

sure!
What he actually promised was to not take a salary, or to take a 1 dollar salary.
What he did was take a full salary, then donate it.
I'm assuming it was for tax purposes.

originally posted by: spacedoubt
a reply to: liveandlearn

sure!
What he actually promised was to not take a salary, or to take a 1 dollar salary.
What he did was take a full salary, then donate it.
I'm assuming it was for tax purposes.

Of course. Wouldn't you?

He's still living off the state via the security around him, but at least he is publicly donating his salary.

a reply to: spacedoubt

In my OP, I mentioned that the topic of his salary has been written about in other posts. What those posts said was that he has to take a salary whether he likes it or not. So, short of no salary, he's giving it to a government agency that we have to fund otherwise. I'm satisfied that he accomplished what he set out in the campaign. Bottom line is, the government saves money.

originally posted by: SirHardHarry
a reply to: LogicalGraphitti

I guess you don't see the very sad irony to which my first post referred.

That's quite fine.

Right. I reread your post and I did overlook the innuendo (a.k.a. irony). I believe a lot of these agencies have been over funded in the recent past and it's time someone reigns it in. Another campaign promise by the way - cut wasteful spending.

a reply to: LogicalGraphitti

He is a good man...no matter how bad the left and ithers want to paint him

originally posted by: spacedoubt
a reply to: liveandlearn

sure!
What he actually promised was to not take a salary, or to take a 1 dollar salary.
What he did was take a full salary, then donate it.
I'm assuming it was for tax purposes.

from Forbes

Trump can't actually refuse to take it - just like George Washington, who reportedly tried to refuse a salary but got paid anyway, at $25,000 per year.

That said, Trump could opt to donate his salary to charity or return it to the Treasury: he wouldn't be the first President to do so. When John F. Kennedy was President, he donated his salary to charity, a practice he continued from his days serving in Congress. Herbert Hoover, a self-made millionaire, donated his salary to charity, too. And in 2013, Barack Obama, who famously announced that he had just finished paying off his student loans a few years before he took office, agreed to return 5% of his salary to the Treasury after the government shutdown affected the pay of federal workers.

a reply to: LogicalGraphitti

Unless National parks are part of the public golf course network the only reason I can conceive this donation to source from is the intent to add a 5th head to Mt. Rushmore.

I would like to see any web footage of Trump that shows Trump in the wilderness? Not 5 star wilderness either...

so a presitential salary is 400k a year. in the 3 months he's been in he's cost taxpayers 140k a month just on his wife alone.

this is a con. ill give you 100 dollars now and take 1000 from you later.

originally posted by: olaru12
Isn't the National Park Service one of the govt. Departments Trump wants to defund and eliminate under Department of the Interior. Typical Cheeto jesus!!!

www.usatoday.com...

Every one of the agencies has some wasteful spending that accomplishes nothing for the people. I have seen so much of this in my life. For some reason those unnecessary projects keep getting money with budget cuts, they cut what hurts the people the worst so they complain and they get money back again. This goes on all over the place, administration money is rarely cut either, they cut the services but not the pork.

That is life here in the USA, it isn't right but that is how it has been for a long time. Schools play this game too, they always cut services that hurt the residents of the area first when there is a cut in funding. People are dumb, they do not see what is happening.

a reply to: spacedoubt

I'm assuming it was for tax purposes.

If the Donation to the National Park Service is an allowable tax deduction then no net gain or loss
You have never studied tax deductions? Whats so hard to see? What are you grasping at?

He also slashed Interior department budget by 1.6 billion.