Director of the Presidential Gift Office — $58,200
One of the more peculiar jobs in the White House is the Director of the Presidential Gift Office. The person holding this position is responsible for keeping track of all of the gifts presented to the sitting president. This is essential, as anything gifted to the president is put into the National Archives.
If he wants to keep it for himself, he must buy it at market value after his term is up. The job pays $58,200 per year. In 2009, a similar position was filled during the Obama administration, and the Assistant Director of Correspondence for Gifts earned $50,000 per year.
Assistant to the President and Senior Counselor — $183,000
One of the highest-paid White House employees is the Assistant to the President and Senior Counselor, earning a salary of $183,000. While it’s not clear what tasks this position requires, the one holding this position spends most of the time clarifying the things the president says to the public and tweeting.
Former President Obama didn’t have an employee working under this title while he was in office, and his highest-paid employees earned $172,200 in 2009. So things have changed since the Obama days.
Senior Advisor to the Chief of Staff for Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement — $239,595
During the Trump days, John Czwartacki was by far the highest-paid White House staffer. With a salary of $239,595, he even made more than his boss, Mick Mulvaney. As a Senior Advisor to the Chief of Staff for Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement, his job was to advise and report to Mulvaney.
As the former chief communications officer at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Czwartacki brought valuable knowledge to the job. While no one with this title worked in the White House during Obama’s administration, the highest salary in 2009 was $172,200 per year.
Director of Youth Correspondence — $58,200
The President of the United States receives letters from all over the country, including many from children. Perhaps you remember being assigned by a teacher to write to the sitting president back when you were in school. Unfortunately, the president likely never set eyes on your letter, as it is the job of the Director of Youth Correspondence to reply to them.
The Director of Youth Correspondence earns $58,200 per year. The only comparable role we found from former governments, was the Assistant Director of Correspondence For Student Correspondence, who earned a salary of $50,000 in 2009.
Director of Volunteers, Comment Line, and Greetings for Presidential Correspondence — $64,400
The White House has a comment line that allows people to call in, likely with their complaints. Volunteers answer the phones, taking the brunt of these calls without ever seeing a paycheck. The Director of Volunteers, Comment Line, and Greetings for Presidential Correspondence manages these volunteers as well as the correspondence that should get passed on to the president.
This position's pay is shorter than the title and is $64,400 per year. A similar position was held by Darren Martin during the Obama administration, paying much less at $50,500, in 2015.