Financial disclosure records have pulled back the curtain on a set of holiday bonuses flowing from President Donald Trump directly into the pockets of his most trusted aides.
Four members of Trump’s inner circle listed personal cash gifts from the president on their newly filed disclosures, with the payments ranging from $20,000 to $45,000 per person.
Three women in Trump’s orbit each pocketed $45,000 — a combined $135,000 total.
Natalie Harp, 35, Chamberlain Harris, 26, and Margo Martin, 31, all logged the money identically on their paperwork, describing it as a “cash gift for the holidays,” Politico reported.
Each woman already draws a $150,000 annual salary from taxpayers. The holiday bonus alone represents roughly 30 percent on top of that yearly pay.
Among the three, Harp occupies the most visible position at Trump’s side. She left a broadcasting career at One America News in 2022 to join his team and now works as his personal secretary.
Colleagues and reporters have given Harp a distinct nickname tied to her daily routine.
She carries a portable printer wherever Trump goes, earning her the label “human printer” for constantly supplying him with hard copies of news coverage and social media posts.
That closeness became a national talking point in August, when Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff invoked Harp’s name during a political rally.
Ossoff suggested Trump prioritized “his ballroom and travel with Natalie” over his official duties.
The senator’s comment traced back to a summer episode in Turkey.
Trump quietly departed Air Force One and boarded a separate decoy aircraft after intelligence flagged a potential assassination plot tied to Iran.
Harp was one of only a few staffers chosen to remain with Trump during that switch.
Meanwhile, high-ranking officials — Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent among them — stayed behind on the original plane.
Harris and Martin fill different but equally central roles inside the administration. Harris manages executive assistant duties for Trump while also serving as deputy director of Oval Office operations.
Martin’s job centers on communications strategy. She travels alongside Trump frequently and produces video content documenting his activities for social media audiences.
Politico sought comment from the White House regarding the payments, and a spokesman responded by framing the gifts as part of an established Trump habit rather than anything unusual.
“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 spokesman said.
The spokesman also addressed potential ethics concerns directly, stating the payments carried no relation to any recipient’s job functions.
“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,” the spokesman said.
A fourth staffer’s disclosure revealed a separate gift of a different size. Walt Nauta, who now directs Oval Office operations, reported a $20,000 holiday payment from Trump.
Nauta’s history with Trump stretches back years longer than most current staffers. He previously worked as Trump’s personal valet and body man throughout his first presidential term.
Like Harp, Nauta was selected as one of the few aides permitted to accompany Trump during the Turkey decoy-plane incident over the summer.
None of the disclosures filed by the four aides detail how the cash gifts were physically handled or transferred, leaving that portion of the arrangement undisclosed.
Harp’s bond with Trump has generated attention outside the current disclosure story as well. Personal letters she wrote him in 2023 previously became public through separate reporting.
One letter, reviewed by the New York Times, contained Harp’s declaration to Trump: “You are all that matters to me.” In the same set of letters, she called him her “Guardian and Protector in this Life.”
Trump has spoken about Harp’s loyalty in similarly personal terms. Addressing people around him in 2023, he reportedly singled her out by saying: “All of you will go off and make money … she’ll never leave me.”
The Daily Mail confirmed it reached out to the White House and to Harp, Harris and Martin individually for further comment on the disclosed gifts.
