US President Donald Trump gave USD 45,000 (about Rs 42 lakh) in cash holiday gifts to three White House aides, including executive assistant Natalie Harp, according to newly released financial disclosures. Another senior aide received USD 20,000 (about Rs 19 lakh).The disclosures were first reported by The Washington Post, which found that the payments were listed as “cash gift for the holidays” in the aides’ annual financial disclosure forms. The USD 45,000 payments went to Harp, communications adviser Margo Martin, and deputy director of Oval Office operations Chamberlain Harris, while Oval Office operations director Walt Nauta received USD 20,000.
White House defends Trump’s cash gifts
Harp, Martin and Harris each earn USD 150,000 annually, while Nauta’s salary is USD 175,000, according to the White House’s salary disclosure report to Congress.A White House official said Trump has a longstanding practice of giving Christmas gifts to people in his orbit, including employees and aides, both during his time in government and in the private sector.The official said the gifts were unrelated to the aides’ official government duties and were therefore permissible under relevant legal and ethical standards. The White House did not say whether any other staffers received similar gifts.
Why the payments have raised questions
The size of the gifts has prompted scrutiny over federal rules governing additional compensation for government employees.Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer under President George W Bush, told The Washington Post that the payments appeared to raise concerns under a federal law restricting supplementation of federal employees’ salaries.However, former acting Office of Government Ethics director Don Fox said the available facts did not establish that the payments violated the law. He said the circumstances and intent behind the gifts could determine whether they amounted to salary supplementation.Fox nevertheless described the payments as “troublesome”, saying he would feel uncomfortable or beholden to someone who gave him such a large gift.
Who is Natalie Harp?
Harp, 35, has emerged as one of the most visible aides around Trump. She frequently travels with the president and is known for carrying a portable printer so she can provide him with paper copies of news reports and social media posts.She has worked closely with Trump since joining his staff in 2022 and frequently types his Truth Social posts as he dictates them. Her close relationship with the president has drawn increased attention in recent weeks.Martin has worked with Trump since his first White House term, when she served as a press assistant. She later followed him to Palm Beach, Florida, after his 2020 election defeat and helped run his media operations before returning to the White House after his 2024 victory.Harris serves as deputy director of Oval Office operations and was appointed by Trump earlier this year to the US Commission of Fine Arts, which has oversight of the president’s White House ballroom project.Nauta, a longtime Trump aide and former valet, received the USD 20,000 holiday gift. He was previously charged alongside Trump in the classified-documents case, though the charges were later dismissed.