A lean, mean machine.
According to a report from Open The Books, the Trump White House’s payroll is the lowest payroll of any administration in the last 16 years.
Don & Co. are doing way more with way less.
Payroll totaled $44.1 million for 404 employees in 2025 — the lowest inflation-adjusted figure since at least 2009, according to Open The Books. That’s a 29% drop from the Biden administration’s $62.2 million payroll for 565 staffers in 2024.
Many prominent employees are working for free, according to the Trump White House’s report, including Marco Rubio in his role as National Security Advisor, David Sacks as White House AI and crypto czar, Steve Witkoff as special envoy for peace missions, and Paula White as senior advisor to the White House Faith Office.
The reduced budget is partly due to a smaller legal team. Trump’s White House employs 27 lawyers at a combined salary of $3.8 million, compared to 45 lawyers earning $6.3 million under Biden — a $2.5 million cut.
Since 1995, the White House has been required to provide Congress an annual report on the salaries of White House personnel.
More over at Open The Books:
🚨 2025 WHITE HOUSE PAYROLL 🚨
Trump slashes White House payroll 29% year over year, leading by example in the push to shrink government.
Get the details at our Substack: https://t.co/fIgykwrqz4@johnhart333 @MatthewTyrmand @DOGE pic.twitter.com/bzNOut9WpR— Open the Books (@open_the_books) July 8, 2025