Some of the richest and poorest U.S. presidents (top row from left): James Madison, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson (AP Photo), Zachary Taylor. (Bottom row, from left) Abraham Lincoln, William McKinley, Harry Truman and George Washington.
No one knows for sure how much Donald Trump is worth, but if the New York businessman ends up winning the 2016 president election, we do know he’d be the country’s richest president ever.
Trump is believed to have inherited $40 million when his father died in 1974. Bloomberg News estimates the GOP candidate is now worth $2.9 billion. Trump claims he’s much richer than that, however, because he believes his name alone is worth $3 billion.
Hillary Clinton, the leading Democratic candidate, isn’t a billionaire, but she is a wealthy woman. In 2014, the former secretary of state’s book advance was estimated to be in the $14 million range. Along with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, her net worth is estimated by 24/7 Wall St. to be between $11 million and $53 million.
Looking back at all of America’s leaders, the nation’s first president, George Washington, was also the richest. He’d be worth $525 million in today’s dollars, according to a recent estimate. President Barack Obama wasn’t born rich, but he’s worth about $5 million, most of that income coming from book royalties.
But not all U.S. leaders are wealthy men. President Harry S. Truman may have been the poorest of all U.S. presidents. He was worth less $1 million in today’s dollars.
5 Richest U.S. Presidents
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George Washington (1789-1797)
1st president
Net worth: $525 million
AP Photo
Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
3rd president
Net worth: $212 million
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Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)
26th President
Net worth: $125 million
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Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)
7th President
Net worth: $119 million
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James Madison (1809-1817)
4th President
Net worth: $101 million
Among the Poorest U.S. Presidents
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Harry S. Truman (1945-1963)
33rd President
Net worth: less than $1 million
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William McKinley (1897-1901)
25th President
Net worth: $1 million
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AP Photo
Ulysses Simpson Grant (1869-1877)
18th President
Net worth: Less than $1 million
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Public Domain Image
Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)
16th President
Net worth: Less than $1 million
Fortunes could be fickle, though, even for the rich and powerful. Some of the wealthiest presidents faced financial hardship, and they also appear on the lists of poorest commanders in chief. For example, Thomas Jefferson, who lived an extravagant lifestyle, was deeply in debt toward the end of his life and, after his death, his daughter was forced to live on charity. The same is true of James Madison. He had a stepson who gambled, and Madison’s agricultural enterprises ultimately lost him money.
The varied net worths of America’s presidents suggest that even the poorest of candidates — such as Democrat Bernie Sanders who is worth an estimated $194,026 to $741,030 — have a shot at the highest office in the land.
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