Trump donates salary to opioid treatment

While most politicians actually become millionaires while in office, Donald Trump continues to be the only President who donates all of his salary.

As has been the case since he became president, Trump again donated to a cause of his choice. This quarter he is donating his presidential salary to help tackle the nation’s opioid epidemic.

A White House official says Trump has given the $100,000 he would be paid in the quarter to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health, which oversees federal public health offices and programs, including the surgeon general’s office.

The White House says the funds are being earmarked “to continue the ongoing fight against the opioid crisis.” It will be used to shore-up treatment in hard hit regions of the country.

Trump has made tackling the misuse of opioids an administration priority. More than 70,000 Americans died in 2017 from drug overdoses, the bulk of them involving opioids. The numbers of opioid deaths is actually decreasing across the country as a result of many of the new programs instituted by the Trump administration, including its partnership with local law enforcement agencies.

Trump is required to be paid, but he has pledged to donate his salary while in office to worthy causes. Trump donated his second-quarter salary to the surgeon general’s office. He has also donated to veterans, the National Park Service, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and many other worthy causes.

Trump became the richest person to ever hold the job of President of the United States. Upon entering office his net worth was over $4 billion. He also holds the distinction of being the first modern American president to actually lose wealth during his time of service. According to news reports, Trump has lost a whopping $1 billion in net worth.

President Obama entered office worth $1.3 million and left office with a net worth of over $135 million. After leaving office the Obama’s purchased a 6,892-square-foot house on Martha’s Vineyard for $11.75 million, according to Julia Wells for local outlet Vineyard Gazette.

Trump, who placed his assets in a trust prior to becoming commander-in-chief and put his two eldest sons in charge of the Trump Organization, saw his worth dip according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index.

The President last week won a major court ruling in a lawsuit brought by House Democrats who contended he was making money off of the presidency. The circuit court said the Democrats had no standing in the suit.

–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice and wire services