"Gifts of Diplomacy: A Look at Foreign Leaders' Presents to U.S. Presidents"
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"Gifts of Diplomacy: A Look at Foreign Leaders' Presents to U.S. Presidents"
[!CDATA[Five years before he became the first U.S. president, George Washington was gifted a donkey named the "Royal Gift" by King Charles III of Spain as a symbol of friendship between nations. This tradition of foreign leaders presenting gifts to U.S. presidents has evolved over time, with the intention of fostering international relations. President Donald Trump recently caused controversy by considering accepting a $400 million Boeing 747-8 from Qatar's royal family, which would be the most expensive gift ever given to a U.S. president. Over the years, presidents have received a variety of extravagant and unusual gifts from foreign leaders, such as the Resolute Desk, baby elephants, giant pandas, and even a lion. The Resolute Desk, crafted from the HMS Resolute and gifted by Queen Victoria to President Rutherford Hayes, has been used by many U.S. leaders in the Oval Office. Presidents Reagan and Eisenhower were gifted baby elephants, while Nixon received giant pandas from China. Other notable gifts include a lion for Theodore Roosevelt, a horse for John F. Kennedy, and a box of Cuban cigars and bicycles for Barack and Michelle Obama from Saudi Arabia. These gifts, ranging from jewellery sets to bicycles, have been valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars and are often handed over to the US National Archives in compliance with U.S. law. In addition to these gifts, George W. Bush received several bicycles from foreign leaders in the same year, including a bike from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, a mountain bike from Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, and a black Mercedes mountain bike from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Bush also received 300lb of raw lamb from Argentinian President Mestor Kirchner, a gift that was likely destroyed by the Secret Service due to White House regulations on perishable items. The tradition of foreign leaders presenting gifts to U.S. presidents continues to be a unique aspect of diplomatic relations between nations.]]