What Ex-Presidents Get When Leaving Highest Office In Land and Some Things They Pay For While Serving As President

Rickey Stokes

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Date: Feb 17 2020 4:15 PM

WASHINGTON D.C.:   What life is really like for an Ex-President of the United States of America:

Source:   Ranker.com

(1) They get a pension for life:   In 1958 when the United States Congress passed the Former President's Act , the pension value stood at $ 25,000.00 a year. Today the pension amount equals the salary of a Cabinet Member, currently $ 210,700.00 a year. Surviving spouses of a deceased former presidents also qualify for annual pension of $ 20,000.00. But what about presidents who resign, like RIchard Nixon. In 1974, the Justice Department decided Nixon ( and any future presidents who resign ) would still get a lifetime pension. But presidents removed from office by impeachment lose the right to a pension.

(2) Secret Service protection for life:   As of 2013, former presidents get Secret Service for life. The former Presidents Protection Act of 2012 reversed a 1994 law that end Secret Service protection 10 years after a president leaves office. The same provision doesn't apply to the presidents children and ex-spouses, though. Children get Secret Service protection until they turn 16, while spouses lose the protection of the couple divorces and they remarry.

(3) They get their own Library, thanks to FDR:  Modern ex-presidents spend a lot of time on their presidential libraries. It wasn't always that way. In fact, the tradition started with Franklin D. Roosevelt, who envisioned the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum as a place to preserve his personal and presidential records. Before that, presidents simply packed up their records, and many were lost in the process. George Washington's nephew admitted the first president's documents had been "very extensively mutilated by rats and otherwise injured by damp". Planning, fundraising, and running the library can take up a lot of time. Some presidents, like Harry S. Truman, even worked at their personal library after leaving office.

(4) They can make good money at book sales: former presidents can earn millions by writing books. When Bill Clinton signed a deal to write My Life, he negotiated a $ 15 million advance. George W. Bush took home $ 7 million when he sold 1.5 million copies of Decision Points. Jimmy Carter was one of the first ex-presidents to transform himself into a major author writing 14 books. Presidential historian James Thurber said of Carter, "he was broke when he came out of the White House". But the ex-president got creative and found a new source of revenue: "if you can write with someone else, you can write a book and make a great deal of money. Jimmy Carter did that".

(5) They aren't allowed to drive:  Presidents have to hand over the car keys for the rest of their lives. Former presidents aren't allowed to drive on public roads for security reasons; instead, their Secret Service teams drive them everywhere. Some presidents get around the rule by driving on their property. George W. Bush drives on his Texas ranch; Ronald Reagan used to drive on his ranch, too. Former Vice Joe Biden joked about the rule when he said, "there are a lot of reasons to run for president, but there's one overwhelming reason not to run for president...I like to get that Corvette Z06 from zero to 60 in 3.4 seconds."

(6) Secret Service screens all their mail. 

(7) Some ex-presidents look for jobs:  Before 1958, presidents didn't receive a pension after leaving office. For some ex-presidents, that meant they needed to find a job after serving in the highest office in the land. Harry S. Truman , for example, made sure his presidential library included an office where he could work during the 19 years he lived in Indepence, MO., after leaving the White House. Grover Cleveland invested in the stock market to make money after serving two nonconsecutive terms as president. George Washington retired to Mount Vernon, where he ran his own whiskey distillery.

(8) They get paid staffers, office space and office supplies: Presidents might have to leave behind their Cabinets when they leave office, but they don't lose all their staff. The government pays for ex-presidents to have an office staff, with a budget of $ 150,000.00 per year for the first 30 months after leaving office. After that, the government foots the bill for $ 96,000.00 in staff expenses, and presidents can pay for additional costs personally. A paid staff isn't the only ex-presidential perk. They also receive compensation for office space and office supplies anywhere in the country. 

(9) Ex-presidents often become good friends: Presidents often battle on the public stage when they're running for office, especially in contentious contests. Bill Clinton, for example, ousted George H.W. Bush from  office, his successor, George W. Bush, didn't have many fond things to say about Clinton on the campaign trail. But once they leave office, ex-presidents often bond over their shared experiences. After all, they aren't many other people guarded full time by Secret Service. In 2017, George W. Bush declared that he felt like Clinton was "a brother from another mother". 

PART TWO LATER 

Everything a president has to pay for during service as president:  dry cleaning, toothpaste and other essentials, groceries, private parties, some redocarating costs, legal fees, professional hairdressers, lodging-food-and incidentals during vacations, the first lady's clothing, maintenance on their personal homes.

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