Trump Gave Cash Holiday Gifts to Four White House Aides
President Trump gave holiday cash gifts to four White House aides, per financial disclosures; amounts ranged from $20,000 to $45,000.
President Donald Trump provided substantial holiday cash gifts to four White House staff members, according to newly released financial disclosure forms. The disclosures, published by the administration last week, show that executive assistant Natalie Harp, communications adviser Margo Martin, and deputy director of Oval Office operations Chamberlain Harris each received $45,000. Director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta received $20,000.
The annual salary for Harp, Martin, and Harris is $150,000, while Nauta earns $175,000, as per the White House's salary report to Congress.
A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump has a longstanding tradition of giving Christmas presents to those close to him, including employees and aides, both in government and in his private sector days. The official added that the cash gifts were unrelated to the recipients' official duties and are fully permissible under legal and ethical standards. The official did not specify whether other staffers received similar gifts.
The gifts were first reported by The Washington Post on Tuesday.
Harp is a constant presence beside the president, often carrying a portable printer to produce favorable articles and social media posts for Trump, who prefers reading on paper. Martin has worked for Trump since his first term, starting as a press assistant and later managing his media operations in Florida after his 2020 loss. She returned to the White House after his 2024 victory.
Earlier this year, Trump appointed Harris to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which oversees the White House ballroom project. Nauta, a former Trump valet, and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira were charged in 2023 with conspiring to obstruct an FBI investigation into classified documents. Those charges were dismissed in 2024.