TRUMP GAVE $45,000 IN CASH TO FOUR WHITE HOUSE AIDES

US President Donald Trump gave substantial cash gifts to four White House aides, according to 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 US$45,000, described in their disclosures as "Cash Gift for Holidays". Director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta received US$20,000. The White House released the disclosures last week, and the gifts were first reported publicly on Tuesday.

The payments to Harp, Martin and Harris represented roughly one-third of their annual federal salaries of US$150,000, whilst Nauta's US$20,000 gift was equivalent to approximately one-eighth of his US$175,000 annual compensation. Federal employees are generally barred by statute from receiving compensation beyond their government salaries, raising ethics concerns about the gifts. A White House official told the Associated Press that Trump "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 official stated that the cash gifts were not related to the individuals' official government duties and were therefore "entirely permissible under relevant legal and ethical standards".

The official did not confirm whether other staffers received similar gifts from the president. Harp serves as a constant presence alongside Trump and is known for carrying a portable printer to provide him with printed media coverage and social media posts, given his preference for reading information on paper. Martin began her work for Trump as a White House press assistant and later followed the president to Palm Beach, Florida, to assist with his media operations after the 2020 election.