The voting is open for the 2024 US presidential election and the polls are predicting an extremely tight race. But only one of the Republican candidate former President Donald Trump, and Democrat candidate Kamala Harris, can win the top job. Come November 5th, the other may need to consider a life after politics.
We’ve picked ten jobs we think would be a great match for whoever loses the election, using our data to indicate what they could expect to be paid. Trump and Kamala, when it comes to careers away from the White House, we’ve got you covered.
Alternative jobs for Trump and Harris
Real estate agent
Average advertised salary: $95,586
Donald Trump was famous even before he entered the world of politics. He’s been on our screens for years as the outlandish entrepreneur and host of reality series The Apprentice, even cameoing in films like Home Alone 2. But Trump’s business dealings actually began in the world of real estate.
His father, Fred Trump, was a real estate tycoon who loaned his son a cool $1million to start his own career. Donald eventually took over the management of his dad’s portfolio of rental properties, expanding the business into glitzier buys including hotels, casinos, golf courses and of course the famous Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
Whether or not Trump wins or loses on November 5th, he’s bound to keep growing his real estate empire and raking in the dollars.
Attorney
Average advertised salary: $107,004
Harris’ background is in law, which she studied in college, attending Howard University and the University of California Hastings College of Law.
Before politics, she held one of the top jobs as Attorney General of California, where she oversaw the largest state justice department in the country. Then in 2017, she was elected to the Senate, developing a reputation for her tough examinations of officials from the Trump administration during their hearings. As a senator, she also advocated for stricter gun laws and reforms to healthcare, among other topics.
With such a distinguished career behind her, no matter the result of the election, Kamala will always have her legal know-how to rely on.
Journalist
Average advertised salary: $53,466
If there’s one thing Donald Trump hates, it’s the media reporting on him in less than favorable terms.
You’ve probably heard his favorite phrase ‘Fake News’ a few times, which he uses to slate any disparaging reporting. He’s even threatened to take away the licenses of broadcasters that displease him like NBC and ABC, should he win the election.
Meanwhile, Trump ventured into the social media business with his social platform Truth Social after he was banned from Twitter and Facebook following the 2021 Capitol riot.
Given his obsession with controlling the media, perhaps Trump could try his hand as a journalist instead of staying in politics. He could certainly learn a thing or two about fact checking!
Baseball cap designer
Average advertised salary: $57,310
Typically sporting a red MAGA (Make America Great Again) baseball cap, you can usually spot a Trump supporter from a distance.
With reports suggesting Trump merch has raked in 5x the amount of Kamala’s campaign merch, it must be one of the most successful merch campaigns in election history. Trump has even released ‘free’ MAGADonald’s T-shirts referencing a publicity stunt that saw him working at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Pennsylvania.
Talent agent
Average advertised salary: $125,679
One of the things that stands out from Kamala’s presidential campaign is the sheer volume of celebrity endorsements behind her. From music and movie stars to athletes, public supporters of Kamala include Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lopez and LeBron James.
Her online fanbase has even been given the name the ‘#KHive’ inspired by Beyoncé’s own supporters the #BeyHive!
With all those celebrity allies, we imagine Kamala has a pretty full black book of celeb contacts. Her starry network would surely stand her in good stead if she chose to become a talent agent.
Actor
Average advertised salary: $63,740
Avengers assemble! No, we’re not going mad – actors Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Don Cheadle, Chris Evans, Danai Gurira and Paul Bettany, aka the avengers, recently all got together to create a viral moment in support of Kamala.
If she doesn’t get the top job, who knows, maybe there’s a character in the Marvel universe with Kamala’s name on it.
Sleep ambassador
Average advertised salary: Various
Who can forget when Trump nodded off during his own criminal trial? If he can snooze during such tense moments, clearly he has a talent for sleeping.
Trump took to Truth Social to explain: “Contrary to the FAKE NEWS MEDIA, I don’t fall asleep during the Crooked D.A.’s Witch Hunt, especially not today. I simply close my beautiful blue eyes, sometimes, listen intensely, and take it ALL in!!!”
But maybe he should simply embrace it?!
Social media manager
Average advertised salary: $62,126
British pop singer Charlie XCX knows a thing or two about social media, creating the vibe of the summer ‘Brat’ – and it’s a trend that Kamala’s campaign team jumped on.
When President Biden dropped out of the election race and formally endorsed Harris, Kamala’s team updated her Kamala HQ account on X with a cover photo reflecting the brat trend – with a neon green background and ‘kamala hq’ in lowercase. Their efforts even caught the attention of Charlie XCX herself, who responded by saying ‘Kamala IS brat’.
Kamala even sponsored Spotify’s official Charlie XCX playlist with her campaign ads.
Throughout her campaign, Kamala’s social accounts have been on point – so we think she’d be a great social media manager.
Waste management
Average advertised salary: $64,898
This year’s election run-up has been full of gaffes from both sides, with Trump and Kamala always trying to turn them to their advantage.
Never one to miss a stunt opportunity, Trump recently had a photo opp in the front of a garbage truck. This was in response to a comment from President Biden that went wrong, where he appeared to call Trump supporters ‘garbage’ – though he has since clarified that he was referring to certain Republican attitudes towards Latinos garbage, and not all Republicans.
If Trump were to seriously consider a job in waste management, he could expect a salary of around $64,000 a year.
Wedding celebrant
Average advertised salary: $67,645
As well as her political and legal careers, Kamala has also dipped her toe into the world of weddings.
During her stint as the district attorney of San Francisco, she officiated for many gay couples’ nuptials – though many of these marriages were later nullified by court action.
It’s no surprise then that in 2013, just one hour after the same-sex marriage ban was overturned in California, Kamala officiated the wedding of her good friends and lesbian couple Kris Perry and Sandy Stier. More recently, she’s also officiated at her stepson’s wedding.
With all that experience under her belt, perhaps Kamala should consider a career as a wedding celebrant after politics. She’d certainly know how to give a great speech!