Presidential and Vice-Presidential Candidates: Gifts to Charity

Until recently, candidates for the highest offices in the land have voluntarily disclosed their tax returns so the voting public could see their sources of income and how much tax they have paid.  Since the 1970s, except for Gerald Ford, who released a tax summary, every president from Nixon to Obama has released his full tax returns to the public.  President Trump ended that tradition.

Each election cycle, I post public information about the Republican and Democratic candidates for President and Vice-President and how much they gave to charity (based on their most recent tax returns).  

The information below is not intended to make any political statement, but instead is designed to help inform voters about the charitable inclinations of the candidates seeking the highest offices in the country.  All figures below are rounded.

Kamela Harris (Democrat for President): 

• Most recent tax return: 2023
• Total income: $450,000
• Gifts to charity: $23,000
• Percentage of total income given to charity: 5%

Tim Walz (Democrat for Vice-President):

• Most recent tax return: 2023
• Total Income: $299,000
• Gifts to charity: Walz took the 1040 standard deduction and did not itemize in 2023.  As a result, it is impossible to determine how much he gave to charity.

Donald Trump (Republican for President):

• Most recent tax return: 2020
• Total income: Loss of $4.6 million
• Gifts to charity: 0

Note: President Trump’s returns were not released voluntarily.  They were released by the House Ways and Means Committee in 2022.

JD Vance (Republican for Vice-President)

• No tax returns released.  Self-reported between $1.2 and $1.3 million in total income on his financial disclosure form as a member of Congress.
• No data for charitable gifts available.

For comparison, according to Giving USA, the average American gave 2% of their income to charity in 2023.

Note: There is currently a bipartisan bill in Congress that would require candidates for President and Vice-President to disclose their tax returns.  It has not yet been brought to a vote.  Don’t hold your breath.