Gifts received by US presidents from foreign rulers, govts

LAHORE: The history of US presidents accepting gifts from foreign rulers and governments dates back to at least 1862, when Abraham Lincoln had politely declined a gift of a herd of elephants from the King of Siam, modern day Thailand, but kept an exquisite sword built with costly material, the “New York Post” has written.

Here follows a list of gifts, both extravagant and humble, given to American presidents by foreign powers and some common citizens:

In 1880, President Rutherford Hayes had received a 1300-pound heavy desk, called the Resolute Desk, for his office from Queen Victoria.

Now that President Trump has been gifted a $400 million luxury jet by Qatar, it has triggered criticism as a lot of media analysts have viewed that such a gift would violate rules within the constitution that seek to guard against bribery and corruption. This is undoubtedly the most expensive gift ever received by a US President in history.

The “Telegraph” states: “Trump officials reportedly believe the president might be able to keep the luxury plane because it will be transferred to his presidential library at the end of his term. Sources say they arrived at that conclusion after determining that the gift was not conditioned on any official act and, therefore, was not bribery.”

According to a 2023 report of the US House Oversight Committee, Trump had also received a life-size painting of himself given by the President of El Salvador.

In 2024, Indian Premier Narendra Modi had gifted a 7.5 carat diamond to visiting President Biden’s wife Jill Biden. The diamond, worth $20,000, was produced in Surat, Indian media reported. Modi also gifted a silver antique train model to US President Joe Biden and a pashmina shawl to First Lady Jill Biden, besides gifting a carved sandalwood box, statue, oil lamp, and a book to the couple.

President Richard Nixon had once received a plush blue velvet box from a Pakistani artist Nabi Ahmed Rizvi. The box contained two tiny grains of rice and a magnifying glass. When Nixon examined the rice more closely through the glass, he discovered that the artist had painted portraits on each grain: one of Nixon as a young man in the Navy, and one of Nixon as President.

British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, had presented Franklin D. Roosevelt with a painting in 1943. Richard Nixon accepted a gift of two giant pandas from China in 1972.

George Bush Junior had received as a gift from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and also accepted 300 pounds of raw lamb meat in 2003 as a goodwill gesture from Argentina’s then-president Nestor Kirchner.

The “Telegraph” writes: “However, a puppy given to President Bush by the leader of Bulgaria was sent directly to the National Archives which preserves government and historical records. The puppy was then placed with a family because Bush was unable to keep the dog because under the constitution’s emoluments clause, government office holders are banned from accepting gifts from any “king, prince, or foreign state”, without the approval of Congress.”

The Guardian, has maintained: “Bush’s most eye-opening gift in 2005 might have been 300 pounds (136kg) of raw lamb from Argentina – a gift that was likely destroyed by the secret service due to official White House rules on food and drink gifts.”

In 1997, President Heydar Aliyev of Azerbaijan gave Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton a 6ft by 5ft rug with their faces on it, which was woven in just weeks, after the president accepted an invitation to the White House. Twelve women worked around the clock in eight-hour shifts to produce the carpet, a process that normally takes months.

President Obama was given silver cufflinks, Christmas ornaments and a double decker bus pencil sharpener. Obama also received plenty of intriguing gifts from foreign dignitaries, including a gem-encrusted horse sculpture (worth almost half a million dollars) from King Salman of Saudi Arabia and a Ping Pong table from British Prime Minister David Cameron.

The Guardian views: “Foreign gifts valued at less than $480 can be retained by federal employees. Anything over that amount is considered a gift to the “people of the United States” and must be logged and then disposed of by the White House Gift Unit.”