Donald Trump gave a £33,000 ($45,000) Christmas bonus to his executive assistant Natalie Harp, who has been dubbed his "nappy nurse", according to newly surfaced financial disclosures. Communications adviser Margo Martin and Oval Office operations deputy director Chamberlain Harris each received the same amount, while Oval Office operations director Walt Nauta was gifted $20,000 (£15,000).
Who is Natalie Harp?
Harp is constantly at the President's side carrying a portable printer to hand him hard-copy news articles. She earned her crude "nappy nurse" moniker following unsubstantiated claims that the large black tote bag she regularly carries is filled with adult nappies for the President. A medical expert previously alleged that Trump chose Harp because he "doesn't know when" he will soil himself.
The holiday pay-outs come on top of hefty government salaries. According to official White House reports submitted to Congress, Harp, Martin and Harris each earn $150,000 (£110,000) a year, while Nauta receives an annual salary of $175,000 (£130,000).
White House defends the gifts
A White House official, speaking anonymously as they were not cleared to discuss the matter publicly, reportedly said 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 source added that the cash handouts were unrelated to the "individuals' official government duties and therefore are entirely permissible under relevant legal and ethical standards."
The financial records, first revealed by The Washington Post, shine a light on the inner circle surrounding the Republican leader, who has previously faced claims he "poos himself so much you can smell him around the corner". At Lyndsey Graham's funeral, a clip of Trump allegedly appearing to soil himself as a member of the secret service grimaced went viral.
Staffers remain in Trump's orbit
Harp remains a permanent fixture near the former reality star, catering to his well-known preference for reading physical paper rather than digital screens. Martin helped manage media operations in Palm Beach, Florida, following his 2020 election defeat to Joe Biden before rejoining the White House staff. Harris was appointed to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts earlier this year, overseeing Trump's White House ballroom project. Nauta, a former presidential valet, previously faced charges alongside Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira over alleged conspiracies to obstruct an FBI probe into classified documents, though federal prosecutors dismissed those charges in 2024.
