Lara Trump ridiculed for claiming Trump only made $4 from being president

Lara Trump has been ridiculed for claiming her father-in-law Donald Trump made only $4 (£3) from being US president.

She told Fox News viewers on Tuesday that the former US president took only $1 (£0.73) a year, or $4 in total, because he donated a large amount of his salary.

“I’m old enough to remember when we had a president who worked all day, everyday, for the American people,” Ms Trump told viewers, “and by the way, took no salary”.

Mr Trump, who famously donated most of his annual $440,000 (£322,000) presidential salary to federal agencies, was rumoured not to have done so for his final salary, however.

That would have left Mr Trump with a final salary of around $80,000 (£58,000) after taxes, according to an estimate from Forbes. The Independent has approached Mr Trump for comment.

Dozens of social media users highlighted how estimates suggested Mr Trump spent almost 300 days playing golf as president, including at his own golfing resorts.

Mr Trump also reportedly failed to pay income taxes in 10 of the 15 years before he entered the White House in 2016, and according to the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, earned as much as $1.6bn (£1.1bn) through his Trump Organisation while in office.

“Actually, Trump spent almost a total of one year just playing golf.. Those trips, according to the GAO (Government Accountability Office), cost $64 million just in DOD and Homeland Security costs,” one Twitter user argued.

“That does not include the cost of Air Force One or other costs. The all in total comes out to over $144 million.”

Another wrote: “Everyone is old enough to remember, when Trump went golfing during a pandemic weekend. Made millions of dollars off taxpayer’s, with his conflicts of interest deals. Lara Trump. Is one of the largest conspirator in the Trump organisation. Gaslighting is bliss.”

The wife of Eric Trump and Fox News contributor continued by attacking US President Joe Biden during the segment on Tuesday for visiting his home in Delaware at the weekend.

Ms Trump suggested that the Democrat had not been working hard enough and said: “I struggle to figure out any job where you could just not show up for a quarter of the days and keep your job”.

Fox News commentators and Republicans have largely accused Mr Biden of avoiding the press. He is however due to hold a press conference on Wednesday, in what is his first in many months.

This article was amended on 19 January to clarify that Lara Trump is a Fox News contributor, not an anchor.