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The White House whitethorn beryllium courting contention with President Donald Trump's plans to judge a luxury jumbo pitchy from the Qatari government, worthy $400 million, arsenic the imaginable caller Air Force One — but his medication wouldn't beryllium the archetypal to invited lavish gifts from overseas leaders.
The signifier goes each the mode backmost to the founding of the state successful 1776, with U.S. leaders receiving each mode of exotic and costly gifts from royalty and heads of authorities astir the world.
Abraham Lincoln politely declined a acquisition of a herd of elephants from the King of Siam, modern-day Thailand, successful 1862. But helium kept "a sword of costly materials and exquisite workmanship," a photograph of the monarch’s household and 2 elephant tusks, according to a missive Lincoln sent to King Mongkut.
Giant pandas Hsing-Hsing (left) and Ling-Ling (right) were talented to the United States to commemorate Richard Nixon’s sojourn to the People's Republic of China. They were aboriginal donated to Washington’s National Zoo. (Getty Images)
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In 1880, Queen Victoria sent an intricately carved, 1,300-pound woody table to President Rutherford Hayes that was constructed from the oak timbers of the HMS Resolute, an Arctic exploration vessel. The table was inactive successful usage successful the Oval Office nether the Biden medication but was temporarily removed successful February for refinishing, according to reports.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill presented Franklin D. Roosevelt with a coating helium did of Marrakech’s Koutoubia Mosque successful 1943. Hollywood histrion Brad Pitt bought the enactment successful New Orleans for $2.95 cardinal arsenic a acquisition for his then-wife Angelina Jolie, who sold it a decennary aboriginal for $11.5 million.
Richard Nixon accepted a acquisition of 2 elephantine pandas from China successful 1972 pursuing the U.S. president’s sojourn to the Communist country. Female panda Ling-Ling and her antheral mate Hsing-Hsing were fixed to the National Zoo successful Washington D.C.
This illustration shows the Resolute desk, made from the wood of the Arctic exploration vessel HMS Resolute successful 1880. Queen Victoria talented it to American President Rutherford Hayes. (Interim Archives/Getty Images)
In 1997, President Clinton and woman Hillary received the acquisition of a handmade rug with their pictures woven into the tapestry arsenic a acquisition from Azerbaijan’s leader, Heydar Aliyev. The six-by-five-foot rug was completed successful a azygous time by a squad of 12 women, according to reports.
President George W. Bush received 300 pounds of earthy lamb successful 2003 arsenic a goodwill motion from Argentina’s then-president, Nestor Kirchner. Bush besides received a puppy from Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov. At the extremity of his presidency, Bush and his woman Laura past bought the two-month-old Bulgarian Goran shepherd, named Balkan of Gorannadraganov, from the authorities and gave it to friends successful Maryland.
His father, George H.W. Bush, was talented a Komodo dragon by the President of Indonesia successful 1990.
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One of the astir lavish and arguable gifts was a golden and diamond snuff container fixed to Benjamin Franklin aft his nine-year diplomatic circuit of work successful France.
In 1785, King Louis XVI gave the Founding Father the elaborate parting gift, which featured a miniature representation of the monarch encrusted with 408 diamonds "of a beauteous water."
It raised questions astir corruption and overseas power connected officials successful the recently formed American government, wrote Fordham Law prof Zephyr Teachout successful her 2014 book, "Corruption successful America: From Benjamin Franklin’s Snuff Box to Citizens United."
Despite the hand-wringing implicit whether the acquisition entailed undue overseas influence, Franklin insisted upon keeping the box. The incidental aboriginal contributed to the transition of the Emoluments Clause successful the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits national authorities officials from accepting immoderate acquisition from the typical of a overseas authorities without the consent of Congress.
Benjamin Franklin was talented a golden and diamond snuff container by French King Louis XVI, yet starring to the summation of the Emoluments Clause to the U.S. Constitution. Abraham Lincoln was talented an ornate sword and 2 elephant tusks by King Mongkut of Siam. (Getty Images)
Franklin’s girl Sarah, who inherited the snuff box, gradually removed the diamonds to merchantability oregon springiness to household members. Hundreds of years later, lone 1 diamond remained. The container is present astatine the American Philosophical Society successful Philadelphia.
Federal instrumentality requires enforcement subdivision officials to disclose immoderate acquisition from a overseas authorities valued astatine $480 oregon more. Presidents are allowed to support gifts to show astatine a statesmanlike library, but cannot support them for idiosyncratic usage unless they wage the just marketplace price.
Trump has said that the $400 cardinal caller Air Force One level would beryllium donated to his statesmanlike halfway oregon room aft his term.
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Despite his administration’s insistence that the pitchy is simply a motion of goodwill to the U.S. government, morals watchdogs person raised concerns astir transparency and overseas influence, peculiarly fixed Qatar’s efforts to bolster its illustration successful Washington implicit the past decade.
More recently, Trump received a sword, dagger and 3 robes lined with achromatic tiger and cheetah fur from Saudi Arabia’s royal household connected his archetypal travel overseas arsenic president successful 2017.
The president held onto the items until helium near bureau and did not disclose them arsenic gifts but gave them to the General Services Administration. The pieces were aboriginal seized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which recovered that the fur was fake, according to reports.
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