Trump Gave 4 White House Staffers, Including Natalie Harp, Cash Gifts Worth $155,000/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ President Donald Trump gave $45,000 holiday gifts to Natalie Harp, Margo Martin and Chamberlain Harris, according to financial disclosures. Oval Office operations director Walt Nauta reported receiving a separate $20,000 gift from Trump. The White House said the personal gifts were unrelated to official duties and permissible under applicable legal and ethical standards.
Quick Look
- Four White House employees disclosed cash gifts from Trump.
- Harp, Martin and Harris each reported receiving $45,000.
- Nauta reported receiving $20,000.
- The four gifts totaled $155,000.
- Harp, Martin and Harris each earn annual salaries of $150,000.
- Nauta earns $175,000 annually.
- A White House official described the payments as personal holiday gifts.
- The administration said the gifts were unrelated to the recipients’ government duties.
- Federal disclosure rules require covered employees to report gifts exceeding specified thresholds.
- Harp’s filing was reviewed and certified by White House ethics officials.
Deep Look
Disclosures reveal cash gifts to aides
WASHINGTON (AP)— President Donald Trump gave sizable cash gifts to four White House aides during the holidays, according to annual financial disclosure reports released by his administration.
Executive assistant Natalie Harp, communications adviser Margo Martin and Chamberlain Harris, deputy director of Oval Office operations, each reported receiving $45,000 from Trump.
Walt Nauta, director of Oval Office operations, disclosed a separate $20,000 gift. The four reported payments totaled $155,000.
Harp’s filing identifies Trump as the source
Harp’s official public financial disclosure lists Donald J. Trump of Palm Beach, Florida, as the source of a “Cash gift for the holidays” valued at $45,000.
The document identifies Harp as a special assistant and executive assistant to the president. It was electronically signed by Harp in May and certified by White House ethics officials in June.
The certification states that, based on the information in the report, the filer was in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, subject to any accompanying comments.
White House says gifts were personal
A White House official, speaking anonymously because the person was not authorized to comment publicly, 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 did not identify any additional government employees who might have received gifts from Trump.
The official said the payments were not connected to the “individuals’ official government duties, and therefore are entirely permissible under relevant legal and ethical standards.”
The administration’s statement represents its legal and ethical assessment of the gifts. The disclosures were first reported by The Washington Post, according to AP.
Recipients’ White House salaries
According to the White House salary report submitted to Congress, Harp, Martin and Harris each receive annual government salaries of $150,000.
Nauta is paid $175,000 annually.
The $45,000 gifts therefore equaled 30% of the stated annual salary for each of the three recipients. The filings categorized the payments as gifts rather than government compensation.
Federal rules require disclosure of qualifying gifts
Public financial disclosure rules require covered federal employees to report gifts received from a single source when their combined value exceeds the applicable reporting threshold.
Office of Government Ethics guidance says gifts totaling more than $480 from one source during the reporting period must generally be disclosed. Certain categories, including gifts from relatives and items received from the government, are excluded from that reporting requirement.
Disclosure of a gift does not by itself establish that accepting it violated ethics rules. The filing provides information that government ethics officials use to evaluate compliance with applicable regulations.
Harp maintains a close working presence
Harp frequently accompanies Trump and is known for carrying a portable printer that she uses to provide him with favorable news coverage and social-media posts.
Trump has long preferred reviewing important information on paper rather than exclusively on electronic screens.
Harp previously worked with Trump’s political operation. Her disclosure also lists income from Save America and Donald J. Trump for President 2024 during the reporting period.
Martin has worked for Trump since his first term
Martin began working for Trump during his first administration as a White House press assistant.
After Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, she moved to Palm Beach, Florida, and helped oversee his media operations. She returned to the White House following Trump’s victory in the 2024 election.
Martin currently serves as a communications adviser.
Harris serves in the Oval Office operation
Harris works as deputy director of Oval Office operations.
Earlier in 2026, Trump appointed her to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, an independent federal commission that advises the government on design and aesthetic matters in Washington.
The commission has oversight responsibilities connected to Trump’s White House ballroom project.
Nauta’s history with Trump
Nauta previously served as Trump’s White House valet before becoming director of Oval Office operations.
In 2023, Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira were charged with conspiring with Trump to obstruct the FBI investigation into classified documents taken to Florida after Trump’s first term.
The charges against Nauta and De Oliveira were dismissed in 2024.
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