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President Donald Trump is turning 80 on June 14, and while the president has received several gifts from world leaders during his second term already, a little-known law might make it tough for him to accept all of them, especially the pricey ones.
According to the federal ethics guidelines, specifically the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act and related Office of Government Ethics regulations, a sitting U.S. president cannot keep high-value gifts for themselves, and while they may accept them temporarily, the gift is eventually handed over to the General Services Administration or other government repositories. This is because a gift to the president is considered not an individual gift, but one given to the U.S. government.
A president can choose to keep the gift if they want, but this comes with some conditions. If the gift is above a low “minimal value” threshold, the president can purchase it at a fair market value. It comes just days after a lip reader revealed Trump’s desperate 8-word plea as he was brutally booed at the New York Knicks game.
The threshold is adjusted periodically and is roughly a few hundred dollars. As of now, it is $480, according to the Office of Government Ethics. If the gift is valued above the threshold and the president has not reimbursed the government, they must decline the gift and return it to the U.S. government.
Even if the gift is clearly for a leader’s birthday, the same rules apply. The law doesn’t distinguish between state visit gifts, diplomatic gifts, ceremonial, or birthday gifts.
So far in his second term, world leaders have made a lot of effort to present President Donald Trump with thoughtful souvenirs that symbolize something. Trump has received gifts from leaders in Ukraine, South Korea, Japan, Israel, Argentina, and Ireland, according to a CNN tracker.
In February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House and presented Trump with a gold-plated pager, the same devices Israel had rigged with explosives to attack the Hezbollah in Lebanon last year. Reports suggested that at the time, the president found the gift slightly off-putting.
The same month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave trump a World Boxing Championship belt won by the Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk.
In March, Russia’s Vladimir Putin gave Trump a portrait that showed him right after his assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, presented to him through U.S. foreign envoy Steve Witkoff.
For now, the president is revamping the South Lawn of the White House to host a UFC show. Massive structures have been seen going up on the South Lawn in front of the historic building as part of the June 14 mixed martial arts show, part of the celebrations for the US’ 250th anniversary.
Crews are erecting an octagon-shaped cage with Trump claiming the finished UFC project will feature “a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House.” Additional large screens broadcasting the fights will be set up in a park at the nearby Ellipse, and the UFC has said it plans to issue as many as 85,000 free tickets to accommodate spectators at both locations.
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