President Joe Biden and his family received tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts from foreign leaders in 2023, according to an annual accounting released by the State Department on Thursday, with First Lady Jill Biden receiving the most expensive single gift: a $20,000 diamond from India’s leader.
A 7.5-carat diamond from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the most expensive gift given to any member of the First Family in 2023, although she also received a $14,063 brooch from the Ukrainian ambassador to the US, a bracelet and a brooch. and a photo album worth $4,510 from the President and First Lady of Egypt.
The US president himself received a number of expensive gifts, including a $7,100 commemorative photo album from recently impeached South Korean President Suk Yeol-yeon, a $3,495 statue of Mongolian warriors from the Mongolian prime minister, and a $3,300 silver bowl from the Sultan of Brunei. . A $3,160 sterling silver tray from the President of Israel, and a $2,400 collage from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Federal law requires executive branch officials to declare gifts they receive from foreign leaders and their counterparts valued at more than $480. Many gifts that meet this threshold are relatively modest, and the more expensive gifts are usually—but not always—transferred to the National Archives or placed on official display.
The $20,000 diamond was kept for official use in the East Wing of the White House, according to a State Department document, while other gifts to the president and first lady were sent to the archives.
Vanessa Valdivia, Jill Biden’s spokeswoman, said the diamond will be delivered to the archives after they leave office. It did not say what it was used for.
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Ukraine’s ambassador, Oksana Markarova, said Friday on Facebook that a Ukrainian designer designed the brooch from the remains of a Russian missile, and that the piece was made of inexpensive materials, so its “real value… lies in its symbolism.” Embassy spokeswoman Halina Yosebuyuk said that US officials provided the estimated value.
Recipients have the option to purchase the gift from the US government at its market value, although this is rare, especially with high-end items.
According to the State Department’s Office of Protocol, which is compiling the list to be published in Friday’s edition of the Federal Register, several CIA employees reported receiving lavish gifts of watches, perfume and jewelry, almost all of which were destroyed. Among the gifts that were destroyed, their combined value was more than $132,000.
CIA Director William Burns received an $18,000 astronomy drawing, a telescope and an astronomical camera, from a foreign source whose identity was classified. This is transferred to the General Services Administration. But Burns reported receiving and destroying an $11,000 Omega watch, while many others did the same with luxury watches.
Below the rank of director, the CIA employees who reported the gifts were not identified, but one recorded an Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra watch, an Omega Constellation women’s watch, a diamond necklace, an earring bracelet, and a ring together valued at $65,100. .
All of these items were destroyed, according to the report, as well as a women’s jewelry set worth $30,000 from the Libyan jewelry company Al Jarro, which consisted of a necklace, bracelet, ring and earrings obtained by another CIA employee.
Another CIA employee reported receiving a men’s Yacht Master II Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch worth $18,700, another reported receiving a women’s Rolex Oyster Datejust worth $12,500, and another reported receiving a Rolex Air King worth $7,450. The three watches were destroyed, according to the list.
Another employee reported receiving a set of expensive Amouage perfumes worth $10,670, the destruction of which is pending, the report says.
& Edition 2025 The Canadian Press
