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Trump gives $45,000 cash gifts to Natalie Harp and two other White House aides
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Trump gives $45,000 cash gifts to Natalie Harp and two other White House aides

Sep 9, 2026

President Donald Trump gave $45,000 cash gifts to White House aides Natalie Harp, Margo Martin, and Chamberlain Harris, and $20,000 to Walt Nauta, as revealed in annual financial disclosures. The White House defends the payments as permissible personal holiday gifts. However, ethics experts warn the substantial cash sums, given on top of $150,000 and $175,000 government salaries, raise serious legal questions regarding federal laws that prohibit private supplementation of government salaries.

Trump holiday cash gifts

  • ▪President Donald Trump gave a $20,000 holiday cash gift to Walt Nauta, the director of Oval Office operations
  • ▪President Donald Trump gave $45,000 cash gifts to White House aides Natalie Harp, Margo Martin, and Chamberlain Harris

Gift legality defense

  • ▪Former White House ethics lawyer Richard Painter stated the cash gifts could violate federal law prohibiting outside payments from supplementing federal employee salaries
  • ▪The White House defended the cash gifts as permissible personal holiday gifts under a longstanding practice of Donald Trump giving Christmas gifts to people in his orbit
  • ▪Former acting Office of Government Ethics director Don Fox described the cash gifts as troublesome because they could make recipients feel indebted to the president

Natalie Harp public scrutiny

  • ▪Natalie Harp has faced public scrutiny over her close proximity to Donald Trump, including her role in printing out favorable media coverage for him
  • ▪Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff criticized Natalie Harp's travel with Donald Trump, referencing her presence on a flight leaving Turkey in July 2026

White House aide salaries

  • ▪Director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta earns an annual government salary of $175,000
  • ▪White House aides Natalie Harp, Margo Martin, and Chamberlain Harris each earn an annual government salary of $150,000

Gift disclosure amounts

  • ▪The Washington Post first reported on the financial disclosures revealing Donald Trump's cash gifts to his White House aides
  • ▪The holiday cash gifts from Donald Trump were disclosed in the annual financial disclosure forms of the respective White House staffers

Debatable claims

  • ▪Trump's cash gifts to White House aides violate federal salary-supplementation laws
  • ▪Natalie Harp's close proximity and influence over Donald Trump is inappropriate

8 sources

The Wall Street Journal
Trump Gifted Natalie Harp, Two Other Aides $45,000 Each Last Christmas
View source article
The Washington Post
Trump gave $45,000 cash gifts to Natalie Harp, two other close aides
View source article
ABC News
Trump gave $45,000 holiday gifts to Natalie Harp and two other White House aides
View source article
Financial Times
Donald Trump gave top aide Natalie Harp a $45,000 holiday bonus
View source article
CNN
Trump gave Natalie Harp and two other aides $45,000 each in cash gifts for holidays | CNN Politics
View source article

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