Trump Gives $157,000 in Cash Gifts to Four White House Aides

WASHINGTON, September 10, 2026: President Donald Trump gave a total of $157,000 in cash gifts to four White House staffers, according to financial disclosures released by his administration.

Three aides received $45,000 each, while longtime Trump aide Walt Nauta received $22,000.

The recipients include Natalie Harp, communications adviser Margo Martin, Chamberlain Harris and Nauta, the director of Oval Office Operations.

Holiday Gifts Listed in Financial Disclosures

The documents describe each payment as a “cash gift for the holidays.”

Harp, Martin and Harris each received $45,000. Nauta received $22,000.

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No other White House employee listed in the disclosures reported receiving a cash gift from Trump.

Federal employees generally cannot accept outside compensation connected to their government duties. The White House, however, says the payments were personal gifts and had no connection to official work.

White House Defends the Payments

A White House official told the BBC that Trump has a long history of giving Christmas gifts to people around him.

The official said Trump has given gifts to employees and aides both during his government service and his time in the private sector.

According to the White House, the payments were unrelated to the recipients’ official duties. It also said the gifts comply with relevant legal and ethical standards.

The administration did not explain why only four of the 95 listed staff members received cash gifts.

Trump’s Close Aides Among Recipients

Natalie Harp, 35, is one of Trump’s longtime aides. She has frequently worked closely with the president and has helped prepare his Truth Social posts.

Harp recently attracted wider attention after reportedly remaining with Trump during a secret aircraft change in Turkey.

Walt Nauta has also remained close to Trump for years. The former US Navy serviceman served as a military valet during Trump’s first presidency.

He later worked for Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Nauta Previously Faced Charges

Nauta was indicted alongside Trump in 2023 over allegations involving classified national security documents.

The case was later dismissed.

Margo Martin is another prominent member of Trump’s inner circle. She is known for recording and sharing footage of the president’s activities on social media.

Chamberlain Harris, 26, serves as Trump’s executive assistant. She was also appointed to the US Commission of Fine Arts in February.

The commission oversees matters connected to federal architecture and projects in Washington, including Trump’s proposed White House ballroom.

Ethics Questions Surround Cash Gifts

The payments have raised questions among ethics experts.

Cassandra Burke Robertson, a law professor and director of the Center for Professional Ethics at Case Western Reserve University, said determining whether the payments were ethical is not straightforward.

She noted that compensation for government duties would not be permitted. However, the administration argues that the payments were personal gifts based on friendship.

Robertson also warned that the payments could contribute to public concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

She pointed to other recent controversies involving prediction markets and cryptocurrency as part of the broader debate over ethics surrounding the administration.

No Similar Cash Gifts Known From Recent Presidents

There are no other known cases of a sitting US president giving cash gifts to White House staffers, according to the report.

Presidents have nevertheless given personal items and souvenirs to aides.

Former President Barack Obama, for example, once gave former press secretary Robert Gibbs a framed necktie that Obama had borrowed before the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

The Trump payments are now drawing attention because of their size and because the recipients are among the president’s closest aides.