Unprecedented! Trump Gave White House Aides $45,000 in Cash Gifts—Equivalent to 4 Months’ Salary

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has been revealed to have given large cash gifts to several close White House aides, with three young staff members each receiving $45,000 in 'holiday gifts'—an amount equivalent to nearly one-third of their annual salaries.

There are currently no other publicly known cases in which a U.S. president has given such large cash sums to White House staff, prompting controversy over government ethics and potential legal violations.

The Washington Post exclusively reported on the 8th, citing government-released financial disclosure documents, that Trump gifted $45,000 in cash to 35-year-old executive assistant Natalie Harp, 31-year-old communications advisor Margo Martin, and 26-year-old White House aide Chamberlain Harris.

Disclosure forms made public last week show that all three listed the payments as 'holiday gifts.' According to annual reports submitted to Congress, each of the three earns a $150,000 salary at the White House, meaning the $45,000 gift amounts to roughly one-third of their annual income.

All three recipients are close Trump allies.

Harp rarely leaves Trump’s side and carries portable printing equipment to produce news articles and social media posts favored by Trump, earning her the nickname 'the human printer' within the White House.

During Trump’s secret aircraft transfer in Turkey in July amid potential assassination threats from Iran, Harp was reportedly among the few close aides who accompanied Trump while hiding in a catering vehicle.

Martin frequently films Trump’s daily activities and posts the footage directly to social media, often standing closer to Trump than Secret Service agents. Harris serves as Trump’s executive assistant and was appointed by Trump in February to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which oversees construction projects including the White House State Dining Room and other developments in the Washington, D.C. area.

In addition to these three, Walt Nauta, director of Oval Office operations, also reported receiving a $20,000 gift from Trump.

Nauta, who earns $175,000 annually, served as Trump’s personal valet during his first term and is a key witness and co-defendant in the Department of Justice’s investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Nauta also accompanied Trump in the catering vehicle during the secret transfer in Turkey alongside Harp.

The large cash gifts have raised significant legal concerns.

There are no other known public instances of a U.S. president giving such substantial cash payments to White House staff. Government ethics experts say they have never heard of a senior official providing such high-value payments to subordinates.

Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush and a critic of Trump, stated that these payments appear to violate federal laws prohibiting federal employees from receiving salary supplements from external sources.

He argued that Trump’s actions seem designed to alleviate the financial burden of working in government service, which is explicitly prohibited under federal regulations.

Gift-giving and gift-receiving among federal employees are strictly regulated to ensure impartiality in government decision-making. Under federal law, both the giver and receiver of such supplemental payments may face legal liability. While the Justice Department under a Trump administration might choose not to prosecute, the statute of limitations for such cases is five years, and Trump’s current term has just over two years remaining.

Painter emphasized, 'These individuals are U.S. government employees. If they want a job where they can receive tips, they should not be working for the U.S. government.'