Archive · 10 Sep 2026
Trump Gave Three White House Aides $45,000 Holiday Gifts
Donald Trump gave large holiday cash gifts to three White House aides.
Natalie Harp, Margo Martin and Chamberlain Harris each received $45,000.
Walt Nauta received a separate gift worth $20,000.
The gifts came from Trump personally, not from government money.
The payments were listed in financial disclosure forms.
The White House said Trump often gives Christmas gifts to people who work with him.
It also said the gifts were not connected to the aides’ official jobs.
The disclosures were first reported by The Washington Post.
Donald Trump gave Natalie Harp, Margo Martin and Chamberlain Harris $45,000 each in personal holiday cash gifts.
Walt Nauta reported receiving a separate $20,000 presidential gift.
The payments were disclosed as holiday cash gifts received last year.
The White House said Trump has a longstanding practice of giving Christmas gifts and that the payments complied with ethics rules.
The recipients are White House aides whose annual salaries range from $150,000 to $175,000.
- Who
- US President Donald Trump gave gifts to White House aides Natalie Harp, Margo Martin, Chamberlain Harris and Walt Nauta.
- What
- Trump gave $45,000 each to Harp, Martin and Harris, while Nauta reported a $20,000 presidential gift.
- When
- The gifts were received last year and disclosed in forms released on September 10, 2026.
- Where
- The gifts involved officials serving in the White House in the United States.
- Why
- The White House described them as personal holiday gifts and said they were unrelated to the recipients’ official duties.
White House Position
Disclosure-Based Concern
Connection to official duties
White House Position
The White House said the gifts were unrelated to the recipients’ official duties and were permissible under relevant legal and ethical standards.
Disclosure-Based Concern
The financial forms show that serving White House aides received substantial personal cash gifts from the president, a fact disclosed for public review.
Reason for the payments
White House Position
A White House spokesperson described the gifts as part of Trump’s longstanding practice of giving Christmas gifts to employees and aides.
Disclosure-Based Concern
The payments were reported as unusually large holiday gifts, including $45,000 each for three aides, though the article does not identify a specific critic’s response.
- Recipients of $45,000 gifts
- Natalie Harp, Margo Martin and Chamberlain Harris
- Other reported gift
- Walt Nauta reported receiving $20,000
- Source of money
- The gifts came personally from Donald Trump, not public funds
- Description in forms
- “Cash gift for the holidays” received last year
- Annual salaries
- Harp, Martin and Harris earn $150,000; Nauta earns $175,000
- White House explanation
- The gifts reflect Trump’s longstanding practice and were unrelated to official duties
- Initial report
- The disclosures were first reported by The Washington Post