Ten months after returning to Washington to govern the nation for a second time, while millions of citizens suffer the effects of rising prices for both food and basic services, President Donald Trump witnesses the increasing number of ostentatious gifts that the money he receives gradually leaves less room to place them in the White House. The strategy implemented by the 79-year-old Republican to make America great again is not yet reflected in the economy, as the gap between citizens' wages and expenses is widening. In fact, an analysis by the Bank of America Institute emphasizes that nearly three out of every ten households live paycheck to paycheck, a stark contrast for a country considered a global power. However, in an attempt to boost the economy, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on imports from more than a hundred countries. His goal was to stimulate domestic production and ensure that foreign companies interested in bringing their goods into the United States would pay more, sometimes up to 145%, as was the case with China. or 50%, as happened with imports from Brazil.

While it is true that the United States has collected billions of dollars through the tariffs implemented this year, this has not lowered the price of most items purchased by citizens, nor has it had an overwhelming impact on inflation.

On the international front, the tariffs ended up scaring the leaders of countries, forcing them to sign cooperation agreements with Trump in an attempt to curry favor with him.

In this effort to keep the peace, some officials have taken their politeness to the extreme with the New York tycoon by giving him items that, according to Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution, prohibits any federal official, including the president, from accepting personal gifts from foreign governments or officials without the consent of Congress.

Gifts Fit for a King

During a working visit to Qatar in May, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad presented him with a luxurious Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet owned by the royal family, valued at around $400 million.

The justification for this gift was that it could replace Air Force One for the remainder of his term.

Later, during a visit Trump made to South Korea in October, he received from President Lee Jae Myung a replica of a priceless gold crown.

These gifts must be added to several others that, while less expensive, are also aimed at the same purpose: to win Trump's favor rather than his disdain.

Even Vladimir Putin asked the artist Nikas Safronov to create a portrait of Donald Trump, which was later given to the New Yorker.

It should be noted that, according to a report by the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, which was presented in 2023, after leaving the White House in 2021, the president and his family failed to report at least 117 foreign gifts worth approximately $291,000.

Generally, gifts received by a president become the property of the United States and are kept in the National Archives and Records Management (NARA) or in presidential libraries, unless the president chooses to purchase them at market price.

In any case, all gifts are usually turned over to the General Services Administration (GSA).

The current federal administration has more than three years remaining, a period in which more gifts will likely continue to arrive at the White House.