The Trump Family Received Gifts From Foreign Governments Worth $140,000 In 2017
President Donald Trump and his family received gifts from foreign governments worth $140,000 in 2017, Trump’s first year in office. All gifts received have to be given to the National Archives and are not the President’s personal property but they offer an insight into how other governments are trying to curry favor with the Trumps.
The most expensive gifts were from China’s President Xi Jinping, who gave Trump and his wife a calligraphy display worth $14,400 and a porcelain dinnerware set valued at $16,250. The plates were decorated with images of Trump’s pink house a Mar-a-Lago.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman gave a $6,400 dollar ruby and emerald necklace, while Bahrain’s crown prince gave them a gold-plated model of a fighter jet, worth $4,850. Altogether, the Saudis and the Gulf states gave the Trumps gifts worth more than $24,000.
The administration received a wide variety of gifts from all across the world, all of which will be detailed in a 64-page document due to be released on Thursday. European governments were less generous than their Chinese and Arab counterparts, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel giving the Trumps pens and paper worth $5,264.
Some of the gifts seemed designed to curry favor with the President. Vietnam gave Trump a gemstone portrait of himself in front of an American flag, worth $1,880, while Poland gave him a photograph album called ‘President Donald J. Trump in New York’, featuring pictures of the President and his buildings.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner also received some gifts from foreign governments. Exact details of which Trump family member received what will be revealed in the documents.
Though the Trumps aren’t permitted to keep any gifts they receive from foreign leaders, the particular kind of gifts and the expense involved indicates an attempt to impress Trump and his family. It is a coincidence that Trump has spoken highly of Xi Jinping, the single most generous gift giver in 2017.
