Cash Gifts Disclosed in Annual Reports
President Donald Trump gave hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash holiday gifts to four White House aides, according to new financial disclosures released by the administration. The gifts were noted in the staffers' annual financial disclosure forms that were published by the administration last week.
Executive assistant Natalie Harp, communications adviser Margo Martin, and deputy director of Oval Office operations Chamberlain Harris each received $45,000, while director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta received $20,000. Harp, Martin, and Harris make $150,000 annually, and Nauta is paid $175,000 a year, according to the White House's salary disclosure report to Congress.
The disclosure forms describe the payments as "cash gift for the holidays."
White House Defends the Gifts
A White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Trump "has a longstanding practice of giving Christmas gifts to people in his orbit, including at times employees and aides, both in government and in his time in the private sector." The official added that the cash gifts were not related to the "individuals' official government duties, and therefore are entirely permissible under relevant legal and ethical standards." The official did not say whether any other staffers received similar gifts.
The disclosures were first reported by The Washington Post.
Background on the Recipients
Natalie Harp, a former far-right television anchor in her mid-30s, has drawn attention for her close relationship with Trump. She frequently types the president's Truth Social posts as he dictates them and carries a portable printer to provide him with favorable media coverage and social media posts — a role that has earned her the nickname "human printer." Her public profile rose after Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat, mentioned her by name in a speech attacking Trump, referencing the president's travel with her on an aircraft.
Margo Martin has worked for Trump since his first term, starting as a White House press assistant. She followed the president to Palm Beach, Florida, to help run his media operations after he lost the 2020 election, and returned to the White House after his 2024 victory.
Chamberlain Harris, in addition to her Oval Office duties, was appointed by Trump earlier this year to serve on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which reviews design and aesthetics in Washington, D.C.
Walt Nauta, a longtime Trump aide, previously served as his valet. He and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira were charged in 2023 with conspiring with Trump to obstruct an FBI investigation into classified documents; the charges were dismissed in 2024.
Ethics Questions Raised
The payments have prompted scrutiny from ethics experts. Richard Painter, who served as chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, told The Washington Post that the gifts could violate a federal law prohibiting outside payments from supplementing the salaries of federal employees. Painter is a known critic of Trump, the outlet notes.
Don Fox, a former acting director of the Office of Government Ethics under President Barack Obama, said the available facts do not make a violation clear, but described the payments as "troublesome" because they could make recipients feel indebted to the president.