Sword and Rolex – here are the gifts for Trump 2025

TT

Published 06.45

 

President Donald Trump shakes hands with his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung as a gold crown is presented to the American during a ceremony in the South Korean capital Seoul in October. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein/AP/TT

Airplanes, gold and a luxury watch. Never before has an American president received so many – and such expensive – gifts as Donald Trump has this year.

But what exactly are gifts for an American president?

– A wonderful gesture from Qatar. I am truly grateful. I would never turn down such a generous offer, said Trump when it became clear that the Arab state had donated a jet to the United States in May.

The plane, which is worth $400 million, stands out as the most expensive gift of its kind to the United States. It immediately raised questions about ethics, security risks – and who was actually the recipient.

From a king or a prince?

According to the country’s constitution, public officials in the United States are not allowed to accept gifts from “king, prince or foreign state” unless Congress approves. Any gifts belong to the people under a later law, and usually end up in the National Archives or the respective presidential libraries, which serve as official federal archives for one administration when it hands over to the next.

Smaller gifts can be kept and if they exceed a certain amount, they can be bought back at market price.

Donald Trump’s penchant for gold is well known. And since his administration has threatened large parts of the world with tariff wars, many leaders have wanted to appease him with gifts. This year's gift crop includes a one-kilo gold bar and a Rolex table clock from a Swiss delegation. And the president of South Korea gave Trump a replica of a gold crown that the East Asian country's kings used to wear, writes Axios.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, gave a gold-plated pager. It was the same model that Israel equipped with explosives and placed among Hezbollah members, which killed more than a dozen and injured thousands in a high-profile operation last September.

Other leaders have invested in golf equipment for Trump, including Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyj, Finland's Alexander Stubb and Canada's Mark Carney.

Daggers and documents

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sailed across the Atlantic with Trump's German-born grandfather's birth certificate in an attempt to forge personal ties between the countries.

Saudi Arabia has given Trump a jambiya – a traditional dagger, sword, and winter clothes and sandals.

Russia’s Vladimir Putin gave Trump a painting of him triumphantly, his face bloodied, raising a clenched hand in the air after the assassination attempt on him during the election campaign. The gesture from Putin is said to have made a deep impression on Trump.

So what’s really happening with the plane from Qatar? The US Air Force is working to modify it so that it can be used as Air Force One – the president’s official plane. Extensive work must be carried out before it can pass the rigorous security checks required.

And when Trump’s term in office ends, it is intended to be managed by his presidential library.