Richest US President In History: Is It Donald Trump?

What is the most esteemed job in the world? For some, it would be becoming the president of the United States.

While being a president is indeed an honorable job, it doesn’t pay as much. President Joe Biden and the last three presidents elected to office —Donald Trump, Barack Obama and George W. Bush—have all made $400,000 a year in salary.

Here, we take a look at the top five richest U.S. presidents of all time and their respective net worths.

Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the country, is the fifth richest in history.

Having come from a distinguished and wealthy family, Roosevelt inherited $60,000 when his father passed away. That’s more than $1.3 million today. He was worth $139.7 million at his peak.

Trailing behind Roosevelt is the third president Thomas Jefferson, with a peak net worth of $236.8 million.

Like Roosevelt, Jefferson hugely benefited from his father’s wealth. He inherited 1,200 hectares of land near Charlottesville, Virginia, from his father.

While he remained wealthy for most of his life, Jefferson was deeply in debt when he died because income from farming was unreliable, and he was allegedly a big spender.

Behind Jefferson is George Washington, the first U.S. president. His net worth peaked at $587 million.

His fortune was derived from his lucrative plantation in Mount Vernon, which he inherited from his half-brother. His salary from being a general and a president also contributed to his wealth.

Washington received a $25,000 salary as president. This is reportedly 2% of the total U.S. budget at that time.

The second richest president of all time is John Kennedy, the nation's 35th president. Like the others on this list, he inherited majority of his wealth.

His father, Joe Kennedy, was one of the richest men in the U.S., having made his money through banking and investing, while his wife Jackie was an oil heiress. His net worth peaked at $1.1 billion.

Topping the list of the richest presidents is no other than Donald Trump, the nation’s 45th president, who has a net worth of $3 billion to date, as per Forbes.

Born rich, Trump reportedly inherited $413 million from his father Fred Trump. He became even richer after taking over his father's real estate business.

Today, the bulk of Trump's fortune is derived from his ownership of the Trump Organization, a real estate conglomerate and licensing business that owns commercial and residential properties, including condo buildings, hotels and golf courses in the U.S., Ireland and Scotland.