Students hoping to intern at the Trump White House this year will find the opportunity comes without a paycheck a notable shift from what the previous administration had put in place.
President Joe Biden launched a paid White House internship program in 2022, offering participants a stipend equivalent to $750 per week for a minimum of 35 hours of work. The move was a departure from tradition. White House internships had historically been unpaid positions, a structure that effectively limited access to students who could afford to work without compensation and left lower-income applicants with far fewer options.
Why Biden made the change
The Biden administration framed the paid program as a matter of equity and access. In a press release ahead of the Fall 2022 session, the White House described unpaid federal internships as barriers that prevented hardworking and talented students from contributing to their country and advancing in federal careers. The stipend, officials said, was a significant milestone toward ensuring that the people gaining experience inside the White House and who would go on to fill leadership roles across the federal government better reflected the full diversity of the United States.
The goal was explicit: broaden the pipeline. By removing the financial obstacle that had long filtered out low income applicants, the Biden administration hoped to bring in students who might not otherwise have been able to say yes to the opportunity.
What the Trump program looks like now
With applications now open for the Trump administration’s internship program, that paid structure is gone. The official White House website states clearly that the positions are unpaid, and the time commitment has increased. Interns are expected to be present at minimum from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday a floor of at least 45 hours per week, ten more than what was required under Biden‘s paid model.
The application also outlines what the administration is looking for in candidates. While political preference is listed as not a deciding factor in the review process, applicants are expected to be dedicated to the ideals and mission of the White House. Selection criteria include a commitment to public service, demonstrated community leadership, and alignment with the mission of the Trump administration.
The program has previously drawn scrutiny over its lack of diversity, a criticism that the return to unpaid positions is unlikely to quiet.
The White House’s response
White House spokeswoman Allison Schuster addressed the program in a statement, describing it as a highly sought-after opportunity for young professionals to take their first steps into the workforce. She pointed to the access interns gain to experts across fields and the professional connections that follow as the program’s defining value.
The statement did not address the removal of stipends or the increase in required hours.
A debate that goes beyond one administration
The back and forth over White House internship pay reflects a broader and longstanding debate about unpaid labor in high-profile, competitive programs. Critics of unpaid internships across industries have long argued that the model advantages candidates from wealthier backgrounds while systematically excluding talented students who cannot afford to work for free particularly when the positions require full-time hours in one of the most expensive cities in the country.
Biden’s 2022 program was one of the more direct federal attempts to address that imbalance. Its reversal signals that the current administration views the internship differently less as a pipeline to be diversified and more as a prestigious opportunity whose value lies in access rather than compensation.
For students weighing whether to apply, the calculus has changed considerably. A minimum of 45 unpaid hours per week in Washington, D.C., is a commitment that will be far easier for some to meet than others which is, depending on one’s perspective, either beside the point or precisely the point.
