Donald Trump might have a new scandal brewing that dates back to his administration and the gifts he and his family accepted from foreign leaders. It seems that the former president and the rest of the Trump clan did not report some of the pricey items as required by federal law.
A new report from Democrats on the House Oversight Committee itemized the presents from leaders like Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. While it’s customary to receive gifts as a part of diplomacy, a president and their family can’t keep a gift that is valued over $450. All items must be accounted for by the federal government and reported to the State Department — these are the rules that should be followed.
According to the investigation, the Trump family did not report 117 gifts that totaled $291,000. His administration did not have had the best filing system as citizens have seen with the classified documents (and he’s not the only politician to have this issue), but Mother Jonesnoted that “National Archives and Records Administration documents show that the Trump administration’s interest in reporting gifts seemed to tail off as his term went on.” During their first year in office, the family reported “74 foreign gifts,” but by 2020, there was only one.
Yet there are some eyebrow-raising gifts from Saudi Arabian officials and the royal family — from a $24,000 dagger for Kusher to a fur coat for Melania. These gifts were very personal, and the Trumps finally paid for some of them while others wound up at auction or with the National Archives. However, there’s one gift they are still trying to locate: “a life-size portrait” of Donald Trump which may or may not have landed at Mar-a-Lago.
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