Washington – On Tuesday, the White House released the full salary list of President Donald Trump’s staff. The document, submitted annually to the U.S. Congress, includes more than 400 individuals working in the president’s direct circle – from press secretary Karoline Leavitt to prominent advisors like Stephen Miller and Peter Navarro. The list not only shows how much each individual earns but also outlines how Trump’s power apparatus is composed in his second term.
At the top of the salary pyramid is advisor Jacalynne Klopp with an annual income of $225,700. Klopp already held a senior position at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during Trump’s first term – an indication of how many familiar faces from his earlier presidency have returned. In second place is Edgar Mkrtchian, currently deputy associate counsel to the White House, with a salary of $203,645. He worked in the International Trade Administration in 2017 – another veteran of the first Trump administration.
An der Spitze der Gehaltspyramide steht Beraterin Jacalynne Klopp mit einem Jahreseinkommen von 225.700 Dollar. Klopp war bereits während Trumps erster Amtszeit in einer Führungsposition bei der Einwanderungs- und Zollbehörde ICE tätig – ein Indiz dafür, wie viele bekannte Gesichter aus Trumps früherer Präsidentschaft zurückgekehrt sind. Auf Platz zwei folgt Edgar Mkrtchian, derzeit stellvertretender Rechtsberater des Weißen Hauses, mit einem Gehalt von 203.645 Dollar. Er war 2017 in der International Trade Administration aktiv – ebenfalls ein Veteran der ersten Trump-Regierung.
Particularly striking: 33 staffers each receive exactly $195,200 annually, including key figures such as chief of staff Susie Wiles, Trump’s longtime spokesman Stephen Miller, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, border czar Tom Homan, and Peter Navarro, who once again serves as senior counselor for trade and manufacturing policy. That amount traditionally marks the maximum salary for political appointees in the White House, excluding special bonuses. The speechwriting team is also represented: five staff members earn between $92,500 and $121,500 per year. At the lower end of the pay scale are more than 100 employees with salaries between $59,000 and $80,000 – including assistants, technical staff, and administrative personnel who maintain day-to-day operations in the West Wing.
Particularly noteworthy are eight individuals listed with a zero-dollar salary – among them some of the most publicly prominent figures in Trump’s new inner circle: David Sacks, in charge of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump advisor Steve Witkoff, and Pastor Paula White, who oversees the new Faith Office in the White House. For Sacks, a billionaire tech investor, the refusal to take a salary is likely entirely voluntary. Rubio continues to be paid by the State Department, even though he holds a central role in the president’s National Security Council. Pastor White, in addition to her role in the White House, remains the lead preacher at the City of Destiny Church in Florida – a likely reason why she declined government pay.
The most recognizable faces of this new term, however, are Karoline Leavitt and Stephen Miller. Leavitt was Trump’s campaign spokesperson in 2024 and previously served as assistant to Kayleigh McEnany, the press secretary during the first term. Now she holds the microphone herself in the White House – one of the youngest and most combative figures in the administration. Miller, meanwhile, remains what he has always been: an ideological architect, strategy advisor, and speechwriter with strong influence on Trump’s immigration and culture policy.
The published salary list is more than just a bureaucratic document – it is a snapshot of Trump’s governing style: loyal returnees, ideologically anchored strategists, close confidants – and a network that extends far beyond the White House. Those included belong to the inner circle. Those who need no salary signal: loyalty is sometimes worth more than money. And those who earn, earn well.
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