3 portraits of Trump, and 5 other wild things foreign leaders gave the president
President Trump might just be America's next great muse.
On Wednesday, the State Department released a list of hundreds of gifts Trump officials received from foreign governments in 2017, ranging from Trump-inspired art to downright extravagant decorations. Here are the 8 most outlandish things that went to Trump and his family.
1-3. Portraits of himself. The presidents of Poland, Palestine, and Vietnam all got Trump this repeat gift, though none of the portraits were valued anywhere close to the $20,000 one Trump bought with his charity's money. Trump is behind schedule if he's hoping to beat former President Barack Obama, who got eight portraits of himself from 2009-2012, The Washington Post notes.
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4-5. A $16,250 dinnerware set. The most expensive gift on the list, an 85-piece porcelain dining set, came from Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi also got Trump the second most expensive gift, a $14,400 "paper panel" featuring calligraphy inside a very fancy box.
6. A cigar box ... for the first family's grandchildren. For some reason, the king of Jordan got a $540 humidor for Trump's 9 grandchildren, the oldest of whom is 11.
7. A statue of a manatee. The crown prince of Abu Dhabi got Trump a "bronze sculpture of a manatee rising headfirst." It's one of a 200-run limited series.
8. A photo of the King of Saudi Arabia. You can probably guess who this is from.
Presidents are technically not supposed to take gifts from foreign governments, but they typically transfer the gifts to the National Archives. That's because, as the Wednesday list notes next to every ridiculous present, "non-acceptance would cause embarrassment to donor and U.S. government." Read the whole list here.
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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
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