Trump Gave $45,000 Holiday Cash Gifts to Aides, Disclosure Shows

Federal employees are generally barred from receiving compensation beyond their government salaries. United States President Donald Trump provided cash gifts totaling tens of thousands of dollars last year to four White House aides, raising questions about potential violations of federal ethics rules governing compensation for government employees. Executive assistant Natalie Harp, communications adviser Margo Martin, and deputy director of Oval Office operations Chamberlain Harris each received $45,000, according to financial disclosures released by the administration last week. Meanwhile, Walt Nauta, the director of Oval Office operations, received $20,000. The payments were labeled as "Cash Gift for Holidays." Federal employees are generally prohibited from receiving compensation beyond their government salaries, prompting inquiries into the permissibility of the payments. The White House, however, stated that the gifts complied with ethics rules. White House spokesman Davis Ingle stated, "The gifts at issue here have nothing to do with any of these individuals’ official government duties, and therefore are entirely permissible under relevant legal and ethical standards." Ingle also noted that Trump has a longstanding practice of giving Christmas gifts to individuals in his "orbit," both during his time in government and in the private sector. The $45,000 payments represented roughly one-third of the annual salaries received by Harp, Martin, and Harris, who are paid $150,000 a year. Nauta’s annual compensation is $175,000. Harp and Nauta are among Trump’s closest aides, with near-constant access to the president at the White House and while traveling. Harp assists in managing Trump’s Truth Social account and drafting social media statements, according to a person familiar with her role. She is also recognized for carrying a portable printer that provides Trump with news coverage, earning her the nickname the "human printer." Her close relationship with the president has attracted public scrutiny in recent months. At a midterm rally, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff questioned Trump’s commitment to public service, pointing to his travels with Harp, stating, "He doesn’t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie." Trump has developed a similarly close bond with Nauta, a former White House valet who continued to work for Trump after losing the 2020 election, taking on roles at the president’s Mar-a-Lago resort and within his political action committee. Nauta returned to the White House as part of Trump’s second administration. Between Trump’s two terms, Nauta was a co-defendant, alongside Trump, in a federal indictment alleging that the Republican leader illegally withheld classified documents outside of office. Nauta was charged with conspiring to conceal the documents and obstruct the federal investigation. He pleaded not guilty, and the case was later dropped when Trump returned to office. Harp and Nauta were part of a small group of aides who accompanied Trump into a catering truck as he secretly switched planes in Turkiye in July, amid reported threats to his safety. Reporters, staff, and figures such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio remained on the plane Trump was originally scheduled to be on, which critics have described as a "decoy flight" in case of an attack.