There is no shortage of rich people on the planet, regardless of the country we are talking about. Of course, in the United States, perhaps there are a few more, whether they are film or song stars or top athletes, but we should not forget politicians! The latter are quite privileged in monetary terms, sometimes even having an absolutely surprising net worth. Here is a glimpse of the wealth of the country’s 19 richest American politicians, all with a net worth of $80 million or more.
19. BILL CLINTON – $80 MILLION
Despite the huge scandal that hit the politician during his tenure and left him in debt, the millionaire and his wife, Hillary, renewed their wealth with appearances, paid speeches and highly lucrative book contracts for the couple. According to CNBC, Bill Clinton’s first year in power, during which he delivered 57 speeches, would have brought him $13.7 million alone!
18. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL – $90 MILLION
Richard Blumenthal, who has served as a Connecticut senator since 2011, was a distinguished journalist with a Harvard University degree before entering politics, but also studied law, where he met Bill Clinton and his wife. More discreet about his private life, we know that he bought a $2.5 million house in Greenwich in 2001 and it is thanks to Investopedia.com that we know that the American politician has a net worth of about $90 million. He can thank his many joint investments in several different areas, including gold!
17. DIANNE FEINSTEIN – $94 MILLION
Now 85 years old, Dianne Feinstein is the oldest current member of the U.S. Senate and the longest serving senator. She represented the Democratic Party and was mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988. According to Investopedia.com, she is currently one of the wealthiest members of the Senate with a net worth of $94 million, which she has been able to obtain through long-term investments, but also through Blum Capital, the private investment company her husband created. Dianne Feinstein is in her second marriage to an investment banker, her first husband having died, benefiting from considerable insurance policies that have greatly increased her wealth. The politician and her new husband together bought a house worth $16.5 million in San Francisco in 2006.
16. JARED POLIS – $122 MILLION
Jared Polis was the first gay man elected governor in the United States and the first Jewish governor of Colorado. He is a member of the Democratic Party and, as one might expect, is a strong supporter of human rights and LGBTQ rights. With great ease with technology, Jared Polis co-founded a few online companies that allowed him to build a small fortune, helping to give him a net present value of $122.6 million according to MSN. The politician is also a great philanthropist, has founded several schools and has also helped many people find work. This 43-year-old politician certainly has a very promising future!
15. GREG GIANFORTE – $136 MILLION
At only 57 years of age, Greg Gianforte is the second richest member of the US Congress. Indeed, MSN estimates its net worth at $135.7 million! His fortune is due to numerous investments, but also to the creation of a high level software that he has been able to sell to major players in the industry such as McAfee and Oracle. The latter company bought its software for $1.5 billion! Greg Gianforte is also a philanthropist who has been involved in various charitable organizations to help causes that are close to his heart.
14. JOHN KERRY – $194 MILLION
Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017, John Kerry also owes much of his fortune to the many books he wrote and the money already owned by his second wife, Teresa Heinz, when they got married. John Kerry is a very popular American politician, not only because of his books, but also because he advocates better international diplomacy and better health care and lower taxes for richer people, putting his own interests aside.
13. AL GORE – $200 MILLION
Before becoming a politician, Al Gore was already quite well off, but his innovation in the first few months of his political career contributed significantly to the growth of his financial assets. Its investments in Current TV, a broadcasting company, enriched it well when it was sold for $500 million after 14 years, giving it $100 million. Al Gore has also participated in several commercial ventures and was featured in the climate change documentary An Inconvenient Truth and its sequel, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.
12. MITT ROMNEY – $230 MILLION
Having served as Governor of Massachusetts and as a speaker at several conferences and other events, Mitt Romney is remembered for being Barack Obama’s main opponent in the 2012 presidential election. However, according to MSN, Mitt Romney’s $230 million net worth would not only come from his political career. Indeed, he was also an incredible businessman, ensuring his small family a comfortable life.
11. RICK SCOTT – $232 MILLION
Currently a U.S. Senator after 8 years of governance in Florida, Rick Scott has a net worth of $232 million, with no personal investment or shared with his wife, according to Politico. However, the joint assets of the politician and his wife and children amount to $500 million! With a law degree, he is a well-known lawyer and a partner in a law firm. He is also the founder of the Columbia Hospital Corporation. Rick Scott has so much money that he himself spent $75 million to finance his own election campaign and he owns a superb house in Naples and a private jet. Please note that Rick Scott does not receive any salary for the work he does….
10. DARRELL ISSA – $254 MILLION
With a net worth estimated at $254 million by the LA Times, Darrell Issa is the richest member of the US Congress. This politician is not a great fan of health and immigration policies, but he is a strong supporter of scientific research and has funded many scientific advances. He is one of the few in his category to say that stem cell research is a profitable business. Formerly enlisted in the army, but relieved of his duties due to medical problems, Darrell Issa has made his place in the American political sphere and made a good fortune for himself!
9. MICHAEL MCCAUL – $305 MILLION
A member of the Republican Party and Congress and a representative of the 10th District of the Texas Congress, Michael McCauk also chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security. No wonder, then, that Investopedia.com estimates its wealth at $305 million! For example, he lives in one of Austin’s richest suburbs, the West Lake Hills, but in 2017, he was reported as the largest water user in his region, which is not entirely to his advantage.
8. BETSY DEVOS – $1.3 BILLION
Betsy DeVos is part of the office of U.S. President Donald Trump as Secretary of Education, but she is also the wife of Dick DeVos, the former CEO of Amway Inc, a leading marketing company co-founded by Betsy’s stepfather, Richard DeVos. It is this marriage relationship with the DeVos family, according to Business Insider, that gives the politician this incredible net worth of $1.3 billion when combined with her husband. In addition, Betsy’s father is the founder of Prince Corporation and his brother founded Blackwater USA. The DeVos couple owns several million dollar private mansions as well as a large fleet of luxury cars, a yacht and a private jet.
7. JIM JUSTICE – $1.9 BILLION
According to Forbes magazine, West Virginia’s Governor Jim Justice is the richest person in the region. It is of course his agricultural and coal mining business that earns him this large net worth of $1.9 billion. While a university student, Jim Justice was awarded a golf scholarship, but then joined the family business before becoming CEO of more than 50 companies. Of course, the fact that he has put three of his farms up for sale for $40 million contributes a lot to his fortune! While he spends a lot of money on luxury homes across the country, every year he buys more than $1 million worth of Christmas gifts for underprivileged children.
6. MEG WHITMAN – $2 BILLION
First a businesswoman, Meg Whitman became a politician in order to have a greater impact on society, but it must be said that her fortune comes mainly from being President and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and having worked for major companies such as Disney, Dreamworks, Hasbro and Procter & Gamble. Ha!, she was also President and Chief Executive Officer of eBay, increasing their sales from $5.7 million to $8 million! So we don’t wonder how she managed to raise a $2 billion fortune! She owns a house in Atherton, California, a wealthy suburb.
5. BILL HASLAM – $2.1 BILLION
Bill Haslam is an American businessman and politician who served as Governor of Tennessee until January 2019, an eight-year term. The son of the founder of Pilot Corp, Bill has always lived comfortably. He began his career by joining his father, then became co-owner of the state’s baseball team, the Tennessee Smokies. His political career began when he became mayor of the city of Knoxville, where he lives, and his already considerable wealth helped him greatly in his campaign. His house was put up for sale for a modest $2.3 million.
4. WILBUR ROSS – $2.5 BILLION
A billionaire thanks to his ease with commercial companies, Wilbur Ross is a well-known American investor and Secretary of Commerce. Considered the “King of Bankruptcy”, he has an incredible talent for buying bankrupt companies and selling them for considerable profits. As a member of the prestigious billionaires’ club, Wilbur Ross is rather disconnected from the people around him and it is all the more striking when you hear him say in interviews that he doesn’t understand why unpaid workers use food banks instead of applying for a personal loan… Oops!
3. HOWARD SCHULTZ – $3.1 BILLION
Howard Schultz, whose net worth is estimated at $3.1 billion by Business Insider, owes his fortune to Starbucks, so he was Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. However, he now devotes himself to American politics, trying to make a name for himself. He will be part of the next presidential race in 2020. It is surprising to see how far Howard Schultz has come when he had only a modest education and started his career as a simple salesman. It shows that hard work pays off, but good investments have also helped him a lot. Now he travels across the United States in a private jet.
2. DONALD TRUMP – $3.1 BILLION
Donald Trump no longer needs a presentation. Currently president of the United States, he is the second richest politician in the country thanks to the real estate sector, having, according to Forbes, a personal net worth of $3.1 billion. Thus, he is the first billionaire president in the history of the United States. Obviously, already rich as he was, he financed his own election campaign. Despite many bankruptcies, Donald Trump knows how to make money!
1. MICHAEL BLOOMBERG – $51.5 BILLION
In first place among the richest American politicians, Michael Bloomberg is in fact one of the richest people in the world (the 8th richest in the USA) with an estimated net worth of $51.5 billion. This is largely due to his firm Bloomberg LP, which is mainly involved in financial and media services, but also in software IT solutions. At 76, Michal Bloomberg is not cheap and regularly makes very large donations, and is responsible for the largest private donation ever made to an educational institution in the United States. He even swore to himself one day to give half his fortune to a charity! This is a generous and honest man!
Source: Therapy Joker
