The White House may be seeking a dispute with the president Donald Trump’s Although it plans to accept a luxurious jumbo jet from the Qatar government worth $400 million as a potential new Air Force belongs to the country, his administration is not the first to welcome the gorgeous gifts from foreign leaders.
This practice dates back to the establishment of the country in 1776, where American leaders receive all sorts of exotic and expensive gifts from royalty and government chiefs around the world.
Abraham Lincoln politely refused the gift of a flock of elephants from the modern king of Thailand in 1862. However, he said, “According to the letter sent to King Monggut, the sword of expensive materials and exquisite techniques, the photographs of the monarch’s family and the cape of the two elephants, that is, King Monggut.
The giant Pandas Hoosing (left) and Ringling (right) were presented to the United States to commemorate Richard Nixon’s visit to the People’s Republic of China. They were later donated to the National Zoo in Washington. (Getty Images)
Qatar offers air force jumbo jets to provide Trump jumbo jets
In 1880, Queen Victoria sent President Rutherford Hayes, built from oak wood from the Arctic exploration vessel HMS Resolute, a 1,300-pound wooden desk, intricately carved. Reports say the desk was still in use in oval offices under the Biden administration, but was temporarily removed in February.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill presented a painting of the Kutubia Mosque in Marrakech to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943.
Richard Nixon accepted the gift of two giant pandas from China in 1972 after the US president visited the communist nation. A female pandarin ring and her male companion hsing-hsing was given to the National Zoo in Washington, DC
This illustration shows the Resolute Desk, made in 1880 from the forest of the Arctic Explorer HMS Resolute. (Temporary Archives/Getty Images)
In 1997, President Clinton and his wife Hillary received the gift of a handmade rug with their photographs woven into a tapestry as a gift from Azerbaijan leader Heydar Aliyev. Reports say the 6 x 5-foot rug was completed by a team of 12 women in a day.
president George W. Bush In 2003, he received a raw lamb of 300 pounds as a good-intention gesture from then-President of Argentina, Nestor Kirchner. Bush also received a puppy from Bulgarian President George Parbanov. At the end of the presidency, Bush and his wife, Laura, purchased a two-month Bulgarian Golan Shepherd named Golan Nadraganov’s Balkan from the government and handed it over to a friend in Maryland.
His father, George HW Bush, was presented with the Komodo Dragon in 1990 by the President of Indonesia.
Freeride: Even ally Laura Rumer should turn on President Trump for embracing Qatar’s luxury jet
One of the most luxurious and controversial gifts was the gold and diamond snuffbox given to Benjamin Franklin after a nine-year diplomatic tour in France.
In 1785, King Louis XVI gave the founder an elaborate farewell gift, featuring miniature images of the monarch covered in 408 diamonds of “beautiful water.”
It raised questions about corruption and foreign influences to newly formed US government officials, wrote Zephyr Teachout, professor of Fordham Law, in the 2014 book, “American Corruption: From Benjamin Franklin’s Sniff Box to Citizens United.”
Despite holding hands on whether the gift would involve excessive foreign influence, Franklin insisted on maintaining the box. The incident later contributed to the passage of the emolations clause in the US Constitution, prohibiting federal officials from accepting gifts from representatives of foreign states without Congress’ consent.
Benjamin Franklin was given a box of gold and diamond sniffing from King Lewis XVI of France, and eventually added an emoluments phrase to the US Constitution. Abraham Lincoln was presented with a gorgeous sword and elephant tusks by the King of Siam. (Getty Images)
Franklin’s daughter Sara, who inherited the snuff box, gradually removed the diamonds and sold or gifted them to her family. A few hundred years later, only one diamond was still there. This box is currently located at the American Philosophical Association in Philadelphia.
Federal law requires administrative officials to disclose gifts from foreign governments worth more than $480. The President is permitted to maintain gifts given to the Presidential Library, but he cannot maintain them for personal use unless he pays a fair market price.
Trump said one new $400 million Air Force plane will be donated to his Presidential Center or library after his term.
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in spite of His administration’s claim The Jet is a good-willed gesture to the US government, particularly given Qatar’s efforts to strengthen its profile in Washington over the past decade, ethical watchdogs raised concerns about transparency and foreign influence.
Most recently, Trump received a sword, a dagger and three robes lined with white tiger and cheetah fur from the Saudi royal family on his first trip abroad as president in 2017.
The President held the items until he took office, and did not disclose them as gifts, giving them to the General Services Bureau. Reports show that the work was later seized by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and found the fur to be fake.
