Meet the highest-paid White House staffers in 2026 — and see how much they make

Stephen Miller, Susie Wiles, and Tom Homan are among the highest-paid staffers at the White House. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images Working at the White House might be one of the most exclusive and prestigious jobs in the US, but you'd be surprised by how much some of the people around the president make each year.For starters, having the top job — that is, being the president of the US — brings in a salary of $400,000, which some independently wealthy presidents, such as John F. Kennedy, Herbert Hoover, and Donald Trump, have chosen to donate instead.While the figure is significantly higher than what the average American makes — $72,800 in 2025, according to the Social Security Administration — it's also less than you would need to be in the top 1% of earners across all US states.In 2025, the top 1% of earners in Maryland and Virginia, which border the District of Columbia, earn $677,543 and $701,792 annually, respectively.Government salaries often lag behind what professionals earn in the private sector, since serving the public isn't as lucrative as maximizing shareholder value. Still, to say that those working at the White House are underpaid would be an overstatement.On July 1, the White House shared with Congress the salaries of all employees inside the president's executive office, including aides, advisors, and staff leaders, as it is legally required to.Some of the highest-compensated workers around the president include policy advisors and legal counsel, while others are responsible for the president's communications and personnel management. Lower-paid roles include research assistants and press assistants.Other notable names, like Marco Rubio and David Sacks, declared a $0 salary from the office of the president, either forgoing their salary or receiving compensation from other branches of government.The White House did not respond to a request for comment.See the 34 people who get paid the most inside the White House, after the president himself. Gary Barnett Gary Barnett previously worked at the US Federal Trade Commission as an attorney advisor. Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images Role: Senior policy advisorSalary: $197,200 Scott Brady Brady (center) is a former US Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Samuel Corum/Getty Images Role: Executive director of the Anti-Fraud Task ForceSalary: $197,200 Lucas Croslow Lucas Croslow previously served as general counsel for the Federal Trade Commission. Finn Gomez/Getty Images Role: Senior policy advisorSalary: $197,200 Blake Deeley Trump established the National Energy Dominance Council via executive order in February. The Washington Post/The Washington Post via Getty Images Role: Deputy executive director of the National Energy Dominance CouncilSalary: $197,200 Harry Jung Trump established the President's Council of Advisors for Digital Assets (also known as the White House Crypto Council) in 2025. Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images Role: Deputy director of the Presidential Council of Advisors for Digital AssetsSalary: $197,200 Peter Lake Peter Lake is the senior director of power at the National Energy Dominance Council. Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images Role: Senior advisorSalary: $197,200 James "J.C." Miller J.C. Miller previously served as an administrator at the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service. USDA photo by Christophe Paul Role: Senior policy advisorSalary: $197,200 Joseph Simonson Joseph Simonson previously served as the director of public affairs at the Federal Trade Commission. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images Role: Senior policy advisorSalary: $197,200 Nick Stewart Nick Stewart (not pictured), who served in the State Department during Trump's first term, is now a policy advisor on the White House team negotiating to end the war in Iran. Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images Role: Policy advisorSalary: $197,200 Jarrod Agen Jarrod Agen leads the White House National Energy Dominance Council. Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit Role: Executive director of the National Energy Dominance CouncilSalary: $195,200 Brittany Baldwin Baldwin served as a speechwriter during Trump's first term. Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images Role: Senior policy advisorSalary: $195,200 Walker Barrett Walker previously worked for the House Armed Services Committee. Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images Role: Assistant to the president for policySalary: $195,200 Meghan Bauer Bauer serves as an assistant to the president and his Cabinet Secretary. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Role: Cabinet SecretarySalary: $195,200 James Braid Braid (right) left his role at the White House in early October. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images Role: Director of legislative affairsSalary: $195,200 Steven Cheung Steven Cheung is Trump's director of communications during his second term. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Role: Director of communicationsSalary: $195,200 John Coale In early October, Trump named Coale as his special presidential envoy ​for hostage affairs. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images Role: Deputy assistant to the president and deputy special envoy to UkraineSalary: $195,200 Joshua Fisher Joshua Fisher is the director of management and administration and director to the Office of Administration. Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images Role: Director of management and administration and director to the Office of AdministrationSalary: $195,200 Shawn Flynn Shawn Flynn serves as associate counsel for the White House. Kevin Carter/Getty Images Role: Associate counselSalary: $195,200 Vince Haley Haley serves as the Director of the Domestic Policy Council. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin Role: Director of the Domestic Policy CouncilSalary: $195,200 Hayley Harrison Hayley Harrison (left) is Melania Trump's Chief of Staff. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images Role: Chief of staff to the first ladySalary: $195,200 William 'Beau' Harrison Harrison (right) worked as an aide in the first Trump administration, where he met his future wife, Hayley Harrison. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images Role: Deputy chief of staff for operationsSalary: $195,200 Kevin Hassett Hassett is the current director of the National Economic Council Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Role: Assistant to the president for economic policy and director of the National Economic CouncilSalary: $195,200 Anne Hawkins Hawkins previously served as general counsel and chief of strategy at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images Role: Senior policy advisorSalary: $195,200 Tom Homan Tom Homan serves as Trump's border czar and has led the president's mass deportation efforts. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images Role: Border czarSalary: $195,200 Karoline Leavitt Leavitt left her role as White House press secretary in August. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Role: White House press secretarySalary: $195,200 Stephen Miller Stephen Miller serves as Trump's Homeland Security Advisor. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Role: Deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security advisorSalary: $195,200 Peter Navarro Navarro serves as Trump's senior counselor for trade and manufacturing. Win McNamee/Getty Images Role: Senior counselor for trade and manufacturingSalary: $195,200 Daniel Scavino Scavino was appointed as Trump's head of personnel last October. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Role: Deputy chief of staff director of the Office for Presidential PersonnelSalary: $195,200 Will Scharf Scharf serves as the White House staff secretary under the second Trump administration. Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP Role: Staff secretarySalary: $195,200 Courtney Stecker Courtney Stecker previously served as senior advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Rose-Marie Henriksson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Role: Senior policy advisorSalary: $195,200 David Warrington David Warrington provides legal counsel to the president. Handout/Getty Images Role: Counsel to the presidentSalary: $195,200 Susie Wiles Susie Wiles is Trump's chief of staff during his second term. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Role: Chief of staffSalary: $195,200 Patrick Witt The former football quarterback serves as Trump's crypto advisor. Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Chainlink Labs Role: Executive director of the Presidential Council of Advisors for Digital AssetsSalary: $195,200 Ross Worthington Ross Worthington is Trump's Director of Speechwriting. PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images Role: Director of speechwritingSalary: $195,200 Read next Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Kristine Villarroel is a reporter on Business Insider's Editorial Partnerships team.Her reporting often turns data into accessible stories about how money, education, policy, and place shape Americans’ lives. She covers stories on college costs and degree outcomes, state-by-state comparisons, public officials’ salaries, the rising cost of living, travel, food, and real estate.She has previously worked writing about culture, entertainment, music, and tech. Her work has been featured on Teen Vogue and Wired. She graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in journalism. There, she worked as editor of The Independent Florida Alligator. Email Villarroel at kvillarroel@insider.com and follow her on X @ktnedelvalle White House Donald Trump