What to get the man who has everything, including his own Boeing 747 and a set of nuclear launch codes?
The conundrum of the diplomatic gift has preoccupied foreign leaders and their envoys in Washington for decades, never more so than when US President Donald Trump is in office.
Prone to flattery and enamoured by gold, Trump has inspired gifts both outlandish and personal, touching and – in at least one case – slightly macabre.
Across Asia this week, Trump received presents that had been carefully selected by new leaders eager to solidify their relationships with their most powerful, and often rather temperamental, ally.
Their choices reflected the deliberate calculations leaders make as they work to demonstrate respect and create a surprise while also showing they understand the recipient — who can be highly attuned to how he’s treated.
The hope is that their efforts will inspire a degree of goodwill that might translate, eventually, into favourable trade deals or new pledges of security cooperation. At a minimum, it makes for a good photo-op.
US ethics laws mean the gifts are actually the property of the American public, and are usually handed over to the General Services Administration, though a president can purchase them back at market value. Democrats accused Trump of failing to properly account for some gifts received during his first term.
Wherever they end up, the gifts Trump has received during his second term reflect how eager his counterparts are to leave a good impression.
A golden pager from Netanyahu
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid his first visit to the White House this year in February, he presented Trump with a gold-plated pager — the same devices Israel had rigged with explosives to maim and kill Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon last year.
Trump privately said he found the gift slightly off-putting, a person familiar with his comments said.
A world boxing title belt from Zelenskyy
For his first visit with Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brought with him the World Boxing Championship belt won by the Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk last year.
The colourful gold belt, which sat propped on one of the end tables as the two men’s meeting devolved into a shouting match, went unmentioned during the talks, glinting under the lights.
A luxury Boeing from Qatar
Qatar’s donation in May of a $US400 million ($610 million) luxury Boeing 747 to serve as the new Air Force One, which outshines most other gifts, generated enormous controversy.
The plane will eventually be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation, the president has said.
Another Nobel nomination from Milei
A string of world leaders has arrived at the White House with a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, a gift bearing no monetary worth but holding immense value to Trump.
Argentinian President Javier Milei gifted Trump a gold-framed Nobel Peace Prize nomination letter during his visit to the White House in October. Trump, meanwhile, threw his support behind a $20 billion lifeline from the US for Argentina’s economy.
On his visit to South Korea, Trump received a replica of a historic golden crown from President Lee Jae Myung.
For an American leader whose opponents say he’s ruling like a king, it was hardly an unsubtle gesture. “I’d like to wear it right now,” Trump joked.
