The White House announced on Friday that President Trump will donate his second quarter salary of $100,000 to the Surgeon General’s office.
The donation is Trump’s third salary offering to the Department of Health and Human Services.
“The President recognizes the important mission of the Surgeon General to protect and improve the health of all Americans, including helping to tackle the opioid epidemic and raise awareness of the dangers of e-cigarette usage among teenagers and children,” a White House statement said.
The money is reportedly intended for use in an upcoming public health advisory, but the subject has not yet been revealed. Jerome Adams, the current U.S. Surgeon General, has strongly advocated for advances in treatments for opiate addiction and mental illnesses.
“His decision to donate his salary is a tribute to his compassion, to his patriotism, and to his sense of duty to the American people,” Health and Human Services spokeswoman Caitlin Oakley. “He has a sincere interest in public health issues to which HHS is going to devote his donation.”
During his presidential campaign, Trump vowed not to take a salary if elected president. Under federal law, however, he is required to receive payment of $400,000 annually while serving in office. He has donated his previous salaries to various programs within the federal government, including to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in January of this year.
Trump, a teetotaler, lost his brother Fred to alcohol-related disease in 1981. Trump has also donated his salary to the Veteran’s Administration, the National Park Service, the Department of Education, and several other government agencies.
