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On Thursday, the United States Office of Protocol unveiled its annual accounting of the gifts that were given to the US President Donald Trump and his family in 2017. The list revealed the names of world leaders, ministers and US citizens who showered the White House with expensive presents during Trump’s first year as President.
China’s President Xi Jinping has been very generous with the US President. Jinping gave Donald Trump and his wife Melania the «two most expensive presents in 2017», says the Times Magazine.
The Chinese President’s lavish gift was composed of «an ornate calligraphy display and presentation box worth $14,400 and a porcelain dinnerware set worth $16,250», the same source added.
While China tops the list of the most expensive gifts given to Trump, Gulf countries come second. In fact, Saudi Arabia spent $6,400 on its gift to Donald Trump, while Bahrain sent the White House a present worth $4,800. The same list includes Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s gift worth $3,700, the Emir of Kuwait’s $1,200 worth present and Oman’s one worth $1,200.
King Mohammed VI is not on the list
The federal list, compiled by the State Department’s Office of Protocol and published in the Federal Register, includes several other generous world leaders, including the President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas. The latter offered the Trump family gifts worth $6,770.
On the other hand, King Mohammed VI is not part of the list made public this week. The Moroccan monarch used to gift former US presidents. In 2016, Barack Obama received several gifts from foreign governments, but the most expensive one of them all was the one sent by King Mohammed VI.
According to federal documents published last year, the most valuable single gift given to the Obamas in 2016 «came from the king of Morocco».
The sovereign «presented the first family with an ornate gold-plated brooch adorned with diamonds and rubies, a gold clutch with an emerald and diamond clasp, diamond earrings and gold teardrop earrings with diamonds and emeralds», wrote US media in January 2018. The king's present is worth $101,200 which accounts for almost MAD 936,000.
Most of the gifts granted to Barack Obama were turned to the National Archives, including king Mohammed VI's lavish present.
In 2002, George W. Bush received a gift from the Moroccan sovereign worth $20,000. It was indeed under the presidency of the 43rd President of the United States that relations between Rabat and Washington were in good shape.
