WASHINGTON, Sept 9 — US President Donald Trump gave his executive assistant Natalie Harp a US$45,000 (RM182,659) cash gift, US media reported yesterday.

Two other White House employees, Margo Martin and Chamberlain Harris, received similar amounts, according to the Washington Post.

The three women described the payments as “Cash Gift for Holidays,” the Washington Post reported, citing financial disclosure forms.

Harp has been a near-constant presence at Trump’s side in his second term, sometimes typing out social media posts for him and printing out information, a role that has seen her dubbed the “human printer.”

She earns US$150,000 a year in her role as the special assistant and executive assistant to the president, according to an annual report to Congress.

A White House spokesperson defended the gifts, citing Trump’s “longstanding practice of giving Christmas gifts to people in his orbit, including at times employees and aides.”

They said the gifts were unrelated to any of the individuals’ duties, making them “entirely permissible under relevant legal and ethical standards.” — AFP