Joe Biden and his family received tens of thousands of dollars in gifts from foreign leaders in 2023, with First Lady Jill Biden receiving the largest gift, according to the State Department’s annual financial report released Thursday. It was $20,000. Diamonds from an Indian leader.
A 7.5-carat diamond from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was arguably the most expensive gift given to the First Family in 2023, but she received a gift valued at $14,063 from the Ukrainian ambassador to the US. brooches and photo albums valued at $4,510 from the President and First Lady of Egypt.
The U.S. president himself has a number of rare treasures, including a souvenir photo album worth $7,100 from recently impeached South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol, a $3,495 bronze statue of a Mongol warrior from the Prime Minister of Mongolia, and a $3,300 silver bowl from the King of Mongolia. I received a gift. A sterling silver tray worth $3,160 from the President of Brunei and Israel and a collage worth $2,400 from Brunei and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Federal law requires executive branch officials to declare gifts received from foreign leaders or counterparts with an estimated value of more than $480.
Many gifts that meet this criterion are relatively modest, and the more expensive ones are usually, but not always, transferred to the National Archives or put on official display.
The $20,000 diamond was kept in the East Wing of the White House for official use, while other gifts to the president and first lady were sent to the archives, according to State Department documents. Recipients also have the option of purchasing gifts from the U.S. government at market price, but this is rare, especially for luxury items.
Several CIA employees reported receiving lavish gifts, including watches, perfume and jewelry, nearly all of which were destroyed, according to the State Department’s Bureau of Protocol, which compiles the list published in Friday’s Federal Register. It is said that Of the gifts destroyed, they were worth a total of more than $132,000.
CIA Director William Burns received $18,000 worth of astronomical photographs, including a telescope and an astrology camera, from a foreign source whose identity was classified. It has been transferred to the General Services Administration. However, Burns reported receiving and destroying an $11,000 Omega watch, and many others have done the same with their luxury watches.
