Donald Trump has accrued a significant sum of money through settlements in 2025 and is now seeking even more.
As President of the United States, he receives a yearly salary of $400,000, which has remained the same for all presidents over the past two decades, according to CBS News.
Though this might seem modest given the responsibilities of the president, it’s worth noting that Trump also receives an additional $50,000 for expenses (not subject to tax), a $100,000 travel allowance, and a $19,000 entertainment budget.
Trump has also been involved in personal business ventures prior to his presidency and, as of September 2025, his net worth is reported to be over $7 billion, according to Forbes.
Bernie Sanders recently used Twitter to highlight the surprisingly large amount Trump has allegedly made this year, including money obtained through court settlements.
Here are some businesses that have been required to pay substantial amounts to the president this year…
Earlier in the year, Meta agreed to a $25 million settlement with Trump. This legal matter started in 2021 when Trump sued the company, which owns Instagram and Facebook, for suspending his accounts after the January 6 riots.
The account restrictions were not lifted until 2023.
From the $25 million settlement, $22 million is designated for a fund dedicated to Trump’s presidential library, as reported by The Guardian, which is scheduled to open in January 2029.
In September, YouTube agreed to pay Trump $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit from 2021. Similar to Meta, YouTube had suspended Trump’s channel following the Capitol riots.
The president argued that the platform had ‘accumulated an unprecedented concentration of power, market share, and ability to dictate our nation’s public discourse’.
The case was dismissed as a result of the settlement agreement.
In February, Twitter, now known as X, settled with Trump for $10 million. This was another platform that suspended his account after the 2021 events.
At the time, Twitter (not yet owned by Elon Musk) stated the permanent suspension was due to ‘the risk of further incitement of violence’.
In July 2025, Paramount, which is CBS’s parent company, agreed to pay $16 million towards Trump’s presidential library as part of a settlement, or to charitable causes of his choice, rather than directly to him.
This legal issue involved a lawsuit over an interview CBS aired with former Vice-President Kamala Harris.
In Sanders’ tweet, he mentioned Trump received $36 million from CBS. This likely refers to the $16 million from Paramount and an additional rumored $20 million ‘gift’ from the network.
According to The Guardian, Trump stated that the upcoming owner of CBS, David Ellison, would provide him with $20,000,000 worth of advertising and programming.
In addition to these settlements, Trump is reportedly seeking $230 million from his own Department of Justice, as reported by The New York Times on October 21.
Trump is purportedly seeking this amount as compensation for federal investigations into him.
The outlet suggests that the settlement could be approved by senior department officials who have previously defended him and those close to the president.
The White House has been approached for comment on this matter.