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The White House said Trump has a longstanding practice of giving Christmas gifts to people in his orbit, including employees and aides
US President Donald Trump. (Reuters file photo)
US President Donald Trump gave four White House aides cash gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars last Christmas, with three staffers receiving $45,000 each and another getting $20,000, according to newly released financial disclosures.
Executive assistant Natalie Harp, communications adviser Margo Martin and deputy director of Oval Office operations Chamberlain Harris each reported receiving a $45,000 “cash gift for the holidays” from Trump. Walt Nauta, the director of Oval Office operations, reported receiving $20,000.
The gifts are notable because of their size relative to the aides’ government salaries. Harp, Martin and Harris each earn $150,000 a year, making the $45,000 payments equivalent to about 30% of their annual salaries. Nauta earns $175,000 a year.
The four payments together were worth $155,000.
The White House said Trump has a longstanding practice of giving Christmas gifts to people in his orbit, including employees and aides, both during his time in government and in the private sector. A White House official said the payments were unrelated to the recipients’ official government duties and were therefore permissible under relevant legal and ethical standards.
Harp, Martin And Harris Received $45,000 Each
Harp, Martin and Harris each listed the $45,000 payment on their financial disclosure forms as a holiday cash gift. Harp is a close Trump aide and is frequently seen around the US President. She is known for carrying a portable printer to provide Trump with printed copies of news coverage and social media posts, as he prefers reading important material on paper.
Martin has worked with Trump since his first presidential term. She began as a White House press assistant and later continued working for Trump after he left office, helping with his media operation in Florida. She returned to the White House after Trump won the 2024 election.
Harris serves as deputy director of Oval Office operations. Trump appointed her to the US Commission of Fine Arts earlier this year, giving her a role involving oversight of projects including the president’s planned White House ballroom.
Nauta, who earns $175,000 a year as director of Oval Office operations, reported receiving a $20,000 holiday gift from Trump. He previously served as Trump’s White House valet and has remained part of the president’s inner circle. Nauta was also charged alongside Trump and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira in the federal classified-documents case. The charges were dismissed in 2024.
Ethics Questions Over Cash Gifts
The size of the payments has drawn scrutiny from government ethics experts. Richard Painter, a former chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, told The Washington Post that the payments appear to raise questions under federal restrictions on supplementing the salaries of government employees with money from outside sources.
Don Fox, a former acting director of the Office of Government Ethics, said it was not clear from the available facts whether the payments violated those restrictions. However, he described such a large payment from a superior to a subordinate government employee as highly unusual and said it could leave recipients feeling indebted to Trump.
Quick Answers
Ask News18Natalie Harp, Margo Martin, and Chamberlain Harris each received $45,000 cash gifts, while Walt Nauta received $20,000 from Donald Trump last Christmas. These payments were listed as “cash gift for the holidays” on their financial disclosures.
Ask News18Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
September 09, 2026, 11:47 IST
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