Trump gives $45,000 to White House aide Natalie Harp and others
President Donald Trump distributed $155,000 in holiday cash gifts to four close White House aides, sparking a debate among legal experts over federal salary rules.
President Donald Trump distributed holiday cash payments totaling $155,000 to four close White House aides, according to personal financial disclosures released by the administration. Executive assistant Natalie Harp, communications adviser Margo Martin, and deputy director of Oval Office operations Chamberlain Harris each received $45,000. Director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta received $20,000.
The financial documents describe the transactions as cash gifts for the holidays, as reported by outlets including International Business Times and NBC New York. Because Harp, Martin, and Harris each earn annual government salaries of $150,000, the $45,000 gifts amount to nearly one-third of their baseline public compensation. When added to their official pay, the bonuses push the aides' annual earnings close to those of senior West Wing leadership like Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, former press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and communications director Stephen Cheung, as detailed by USA Today.
Media additions
| Recipient | Role | Government Salary | Reported Gift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natalie Harp | Executive Assistant | $150,000 | $45,000 |
| Margo Martin | Communications Adviser | $150,000 | $45,000 |
| Chamberlain Harris | Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations | $150,000 | $45,000 |
| Walt Nauta | Director of Oval Office Operations | $175,000 | $20,000 |
The revelation has divided legal and ethical scholars regarding compliance with federal law. Richard Painter, who served as chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, told The Guardian and The Washington Post that the payments appear to run afoul of criminal statutes prohibiting the outside supplementation of federal salaries.
"He鈥檚 clearly trying to make it easier for them financially to work in government service at the White House. You can't do that."
Richard Painter, Chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, via The Washington Post
Painter argued that characterizing the disbursements as holiday gifts does not bypass the legal framework meant to prevent patronage and secure loyalty to the public good, stating that officials must answer to the public rather than buy loyalty for the president.
Conversely, Don Fox, former acting director of the Office of Government Ethics during the Obama administration, told 6abc Philadelphia that the disclosures alone do not definitively establish a legal violation. Fox noted that the salary-supplementation prohibition typically applies when money compensates employees for taking lower government pay than private-sector alternatives. Even so, Fox described the scale of the payments as troublesome.
"I would feel somewhere between really uncomfortable and then beholden to the person who gave me such a large gift."
Don Fox, Former acting director of the Office of Government Ethics, via The Washington Post
The White House firmly rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing. According to statements provided to outlets including Mother Jones and ABC News, spokesperson Davis Ingle emphasized the president's history.
"The President 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 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."
Davis Ingle, White House spokesperson, via ABC News
The disclosures have amplified existing public fascination with Natalie Harp, who occupies a unique and visible role in the West Wing. Known widely as the "human printer," Harp maintains a constant presence by the president's side, carrying a portable printer to supply him with hard copies of favorable news articles and social media posts, as detailed by the South China Morning Post and The New Republic. Harp previously worked for One America News and joined Trump's staff in 2022 after leaving the network. Her prominence also drew criticism from Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff during a campaign rally in August, who invoked her proximity while discussing administration travel arrangements, as reported by WRAL and the Associated Press.
Other recipients of the holiday payments also maintain close ties to the president. Margo Martin began working in the White House during the first term, followed Trump to Palm Beach, Florida, to help run his media operations after the 2020 election, and returned to Washington following the 2024 victory. Chamberlain Harris also served during the first term, continued working for Trump in Florida, and was appointed by Trump to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which oversees the White House ballroom project and other Washington-area construction. Walt Nauta previously served as Trump's valet and was a co-defendant in the federal classified-documents case before a judge dismissed the charges in 2024 after ruling that special counsel Jack Smith had been improperly appointed.
