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The recurring awards and gifts given to, or claimed by, Trump

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You're probably here because of the Jan 2026 rerun. This is the 15th time since 2017 this story has run. The previous rerun was Dec 2025.

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Donald Trump has received honors and costly gifts from foreign governments, companies and organizations. They include Saudi Arabia's highest civilian honor in 2017 and, in 2025, a Qatari Boeing 747 and a gold bar and Rolex clock from Swiss executives. Foreign leaders and lawmakers have nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, which he has said he deserves. Fact-checkers, including CNN and Snopes, have found no evidence for some honors he has described, such as a Michigan "Man of the Year" award. Democrats and ethics experts have raised questions under the Emoluments Clause and the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act, and about where gifts end up, whether the National Archives or his presidential library. The White House says Trump accepts gifts on behalf of the American people.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

20162026

Jan 2026 Machado gives Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado met Trump at the White House and gave him her Nobel Peace Prize medal. Following the Thursday meeting, a White House official confirmed to ABC News that Trump did accept the medal. Trump wrote on Truth Social: "María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done," calling it a "wonderful gesture of mutual respect." The ABC reported that Trump has coveted and openly campaigned for winning the Nobel Prize himself since his return to office. Al Jazeera reported that under the Nobel Foundation's rules, while Trump can hold the physical prize, it has still been awarded to Machado, which is a decision that will continue to stand.

  • ABC News article
    Following the Thursday meeting, a White House official confirmed to ABC News that Trump did accept the medal.
  • Al Jazeera article
    A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot,

Sources: ABC News reliable · Al Jazeera reliable

Dec 2025 Israel Prize announced for Trump

On Dec. 29, 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced after a meeting at Mar-a-Lago that President Trump would receive the Israel Prize in 2026. JTA reported that this was the first time a foreign leader would get the award. Education Minister Yoav Kisch told Trump by phone during the meeting that the prize committee had chosen him for the category "special contribution to the Jewish people." Trump called it a "great honor." The Israel Prize is the country's top civilian honor (JTA). JTA's announcement story placed it alongside FIFA's "FIFA Peace Prize" earlier that month and Trump's repeated statements that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump did not attend the Independence Day ceremony and was awarded the prize in absentia on April 22, 2026.

  • jta.org article
    So we decided to break a convention to or create a new one, and that is to award the Israel Prize, which, in almost our 80 years, we've never awarded it to a non-Israeli, and we're going to award it this year to President Trump.
  • timesofisrael.com article
    great honor, really amazing being the first one outside of Israel, it's really something.
  • youtube.com video

Sources: jta.org needs a second source · timesofisrael.com needs a second source · jta.org needs a second source

Dec 2025 The new FIFA Peace Prize

FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented Trump with the first "FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World" and a commemorative medal at the World Cup 2026 draw at the Kennedy Center on December 5, 2025. FIFA said the prize would be given every year. Al Jazeera reported that Infantino handed Trump "a gold trophy, a gold medal and a certificate." Trump said: "This is truly one of the great honors of my life," according to a CQ Factbase transcript. FIFA's own site confirms the award. Within days, the rights group FairSquare filed a formal ethics complaint saying that giving the prize to a sitting political leader breached FIFA's duty of neutrality (Al Jazeera).

  • inside.fifa.com statement
    President Trump received the FIFA Peace Prize award and a commemorative medal
  • democrats.senate.gov statement
    This is truly one of the great honors of my life.
  • Al Jazeera article
    to a sitting political leader is in and of itself a clear breach of FIFA's duty of neutrality

Sources: inside.fifa.com needs a second source · Al Jazeera reliable

Nov 2025 Swiss executives' Rolex desk clock and 1-kg gold bar

On November 4, 2025, a group of Swiss business leaders visiting the White House gave Trump a Rolex desk clock (NPR described it as gold-plated) and a 1-kilogram gold bar stamped "45" and "47." Rolex head Jean-Frédéric Dufour gave the clock and MKS head Marwan Shakarchi gave the bar. Axios put the bar's value at a little over $130,000. White House officials said Trump accepted the gifts on behalf of his presidential library, which made them legal (Axios); MS NOW reported that this exempted them from the standard National Archives transfer process. On November 14 the U.S. announced a cut in tariffs on Swiss goods from 39% to 15% (Axios, NPR). Richard Painter, formerly the chief White House ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, told NPR, "It appears as if there's a quid pro quo of a gift from foreign interests to the president in return for concession on tariffs." Swiss lawmakers lodged a criminal report against the executives (swissinfo). White House spokesperson Davis Ingle later told MS NOW that the suggestion that a ceremonial item influences decisions like tariffs "is completely preposterous."

  • Axios article
    Trump accepted the gifts on behalf of his presidential library, making them legal, White House officials say.
  • NPR article
    It appears as if there's a quid pro quo of a gift from foreign interests to the president in return for concession on tariffs.
  • swissinfo.ch article
    Swiss parliamentarians have lodged a criminal report against business leaders who presented United States president Donald Trump with a Rolex and a gold ingot

Sources: Axios reliable · NPR reliable · swissinfo.ch needs a second source · swissinfo.ch needs a second source · ms.now needs a second source

Oct 2025 – Nov 2025 South Korea gives Trump a replica Silla gold crown and its highest honor

On Oct. 29, 2025, at a ceremony at Gyeongju National Museum, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung gave Trump a specially gilded replica of an ancient Korean crown (TIME), which Korea Times and MS NOW identified as a Silla-era crown. He also awarded him the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, which TIME calls South Korea's highest honor and Axios its "highest civil honor"; Trump was the first US president to receive it (TIME; Axios). Trump said of the medal, "It's really beautiful. I'd like to wear it right now" (TIME). Axios reported that the Foreign Emoluments Clause bars officeholders from accepting gifts "from any king, prince or foreign state," and that the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act bars the president from keeping personal gifts worth more than "minimal value" (currently $480). White House spokesperson Anna Kelly responded that "Foreign leaders recognize that under this president's leadership, our country has restored its standing as leader of the free world" (Axios). MS NOW later reported that the ceremony coincided with the two governments' finalization of a trade framework. No value for the crown or medal, and no record of where they went, was reported in the cited coverage.

  • Time article
    It's really beautiful. I'd like to wear it right now.
  • Axios article
    Trump also became the first U.S. president to receive a gold medal representing the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, South Korea's highest civil honor.
  • koreatimes.co.kr article
    These jokes, which were clipped as shorts for social media, went viral in Korea over the weekend, sparking outrage and debate.

Sources: Time reliable · Axios reliable · koreatimes.co.kr needs a second source · ms.now needs a second source

Oct 2025 Nobel Peace Prize goes to Machado

On 10 October 2025, the Norwegian Nobel Committee gave the Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado and not to Donald Trump. Newsweek said Trump had been "widely rumored to be a contender," with "several governments reportedly submitting nominations." Newsweek also reported that many of those nominations "came after the February 1 deadline." According to Newsweek, Machado "dedicated her win to both the Venezuelan people and President Trump." White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote that "The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace" (CNBC; Newsweek). Trump said he "didn't do it for that," a remark Newsweek reported he first made on Oct. 9, before the announcement.

  • cnbc.com article
    Machado's shoutout came less than three hours after White House communications director Steven Cheung claimed that by snubbing Trump, "The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace."
  • Newsweek (pre–2013) article
    Trump, who has long sought the Nobel honor, said he "didn't do it for that" but claimed credit for saving lives through his foreign policy.

Sources: Newsweek (pre–2013) needs a second source · cnbc.com reliable

Aug 2025 Tim Cook's glass-and-gold plaque

On Aug. 6, 2025, in the Oval Office, Apple CEO Tim Cook gave President Donald Trump a customized glass plaque mounted on a 24-karat gold base. At the same event Cook announced that Apple would add $100 billion to its U.S. manufacturing investment, bringing its total pledge to $600 billion (Fortune; MS NOW). CNN reported that the glass was made at Corning's plant in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Cook pointed out that the gift box was made in California, that the engraved glass was designed by a former Marine Corps corporal who works at Apple, and that the gold base came from Utah. Trump replied, "Thank you very much, it's fantastic" (Fortune). No value for the plaque was reported in the cited coverage. In a September 2026 review, MS NOW listed it among gifts to Trump from "private companies or trade groups affected by Trump's fiscal policies." In that piece, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said Trump accepts gifts "strictly on behalf of the American people" and that the suggestion that a ceremonial item has any influence on decisions like tariffs "is completely preposterous."

  • CNN broadcast
    Apple CEO Tim Cook gifted President Donald Trump a plaque made of glass manufactured in Corning’s Harrodsburg, Kentucky, which he announced would be the cover glass on all iPhones and Apple Watches soon.
  • fortune.com article
    “It’s a unique unit of one,” Cook said.
  • ms.now article
    On Aug. 6, 2025, Cook, the CEO of Apple, presented Trump with a glass plaque mounted on a 24-karat gold base in the Oval Office

Sources: CNN reliable · fortune.com reliable · ms.now needs a second source

Jun 2025 – Jul 2025 Pakistan and Netanyahu nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize

On June 21, 2025, Pakistan's government said it had formally recommended Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his "decisive diplomatic intervention" and "pivotal leadership" during the May fighting between India and Pakistan (CNN). CNN reported that Indian and Pakistani officials gave contradictory accounts of how the truce was reached, with New Delhi saying the two neighbors "directly" collaborated on it. The day before, Trump had written on Truth Social, "I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do" (CNN). On July 7, 2025, at the start of a White House dinner, Netanyahu presented Trump with the letter he said he had sent to the Nobel Prize Committee nominating him. Trump responded, "Coming from you, in particular, this is very meaningful" (CNN; Gulf News).

  • CNN article
    Pakistan has formally recommended US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his “decisive diplomatic intervention” following a spike in violence between India and Pakistan earlier this year.
  • CNN article
    So, I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize Committee; it’s nominating you for the Peace Prize, which is well deserved, and you should get it.
  • gulfnews.com article
    "Coming from you in particular, this is very meaningful," Trump said.

Sources: CNN reliable · CNN reliable · gulfnews.com needs a second source

May 2025 Qatar's Boeing 747 offered as Air Force One

The gift: On May 11, 2025, ABC News reported that the administration was getting ready to accept a Boeing 747-8 from Qatar's royal family. Trump would use it as Air Force One, and ownership would pass to the Trump presidential library foundation shortly before he leaves office. Value: NPR said industry groups put the plane's value at around $400 million. In its May 22 update, FactCheck.org cited a New York Times report that industry experts valued it at $200 million. The rule at issue: The debate was about the Constitution's Foreign Emoluments Clause. Trump said the plane was a gift to the Defense Department, not to him. Where it went: On May 21 the Pentagon said Defense Secretary Hegseth had accepted it "in accordance with all federal rules and regulations."

  • ABC News article
    the Trump administration is preparing to accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar
  • factcheck.org article
    the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction
  • NPR article
    I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, 'No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane,'

Sources: ABC News reliable · NPR reliable · factcheck.org reliable · cnbc.com reliable

Jun 2024 Trump repeats the "Michigan Man of the Year" claim in Detroit; CNN fact-checks it again

In a June 15, 2024 speech in Detroit, Trump said he had been named "Man of the Year" in Michigan "long before politics, like 12, 13 years ago" (Roll Call Factba.se and Rev transcripts). CNN's fact check said the claim "remains false" and that nobody had ever found evidence of the award. CNN also said the state of Michigan does not give out a "Man of the Year" award and that Trump has never specified who gave it to him or when. CNN noted that the Oakland County Republican Party gave Trump its first-ever "Man of the Decade" award in 2023, but said Trump made clear he was talking about an earlier "Man of the Year" award. Trump's campaign did not immediately respond to CNN's request for evidence. Snopes had rated the claim "False" in September 2020, noting that Trump first told the story at a 2016 campaign rally.

  • rollcall.com statement
    I got the man of the year in Michigan years ago, long before politics, like 12, 13 years ago.
  • CNN article
    Nobody has ever been able to find any evidence that he was ever named “Man of the Year” in Michigan before he ran for president.
  • Snopes article
    Trump had told versions of this story since first bringing it up at a campaign rally in 2016.

Sources: CNN reliable · Snopes reliable · rollcall.com reliable · rev.com needs a second source

Mar 2023 House Oversight Democrats' report on Trump's undisclosed foreign gifts

On March 17, 2023, Democratic staff on the House Oversight Committee, led by ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, released a 15-page interim report. It said Trump and his family received "117 unreported foreign gifts, valued at roughly $291,000" during his first term, and that these were never reported to the State Department (CNN, ABC). The givers included Chinese President Xi Jinping, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (CBS). The report said some gifts were unaccounted for: a "larger-than-life-sized" painting of Trump from El Salvador's president, golf clubs from Japan's prime minister valued at more than $7,200, and a $450 decorated box given to Jared Kushner (CBS). Under the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act, gifts above a minimal value ($415 for most of Trump's term, $480 at the time of the report) become U.S. government property unless the recipient buys them, and they must still be reported to the State Department (CBS).

  • oversightdemocrats.house.gov statement
    If the president doesn't comply with the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act, it just becomes the Foreign Grifts Act
  • CNN article
    The report does not provide any specific evidence that US policy was influenced by the gifts.
  • cbsnews.com article
    A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CBS News about the report.

Sources: CNN reliable · cbsnews.com reliable · ABC News reliable · The Washington Post reliable

Sep 2020 Norwegian lawmaker nominates Trump for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize

On September 9, 2020, Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a Norwegian MP from the Progress Party, said he had nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. He cited Trump's work "for a peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel" (CBS/AP; Al Jazeera/AP). Trump responded on Twitter with "Thank you!" (CBS). The White House said the same day that Trump "is honored to be considered by the Nobel Committee." The Norwegian Nobel Committee does not comment on nominees and keeps nomination records secret for 50 years (CBS/AP). Later, FactCheck.org (September 23) reviewed how Trump talked about the nomination. It found that he "repeatedly conflated winning a Nobel Peace Prize with being nominated for one."

  • cbsnews.com article
    No matter how Trump acts at home and what he says at press conferences, he has absolutely a chance at getting the Nobel Peace Prize
  • trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov statement
    This peace deal is a testament to the bold diplomacy and vision of President Trump, and he is honored to be considered by the Nobel Committee.
  • Al Jazeera article
    I am not a big Trump supporter

Sources: cbsnews.com reliable · Al Jazeera reliable · trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov reliable · factcheck.org reliable

Feb 2019 Trump says Abe nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize

At a White House news conference on Feb. 15, 2019, Trump said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had given him "the most beautiful copy" of a five-page letter nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize over his talks with North Korea (Washington Post, CNBC/Reuters). On Feb. 17 the Asahi Shimbun, citing an unnamed Japanese government source (CNBC/Reuters; NBC News described "multiple" sources), reported that Abe made the nomination in the fall of 2018 after an "unofficial" US request following the Singapore summit. The Nikkei also reported that Abe had sent a nomination (Washington Post). On Feb. 18 Abe told parliament he would not comment because the Nobel committee keeps nominations secret for 50 years, but added, "I am not saying it's not true" (Washington Post). FactCheck.org later listed it among Trump's Nobel nominations and noted that he did not win the prize that year.

  • NBC News article
    He said: 'I have nominated you, respectfully, on behalf of Japan. I am asking them to give you the Nobel Peace Prize.' I said, 'Thank you.'
  • cnbc.com article
    The U.S. government had sounded Abe out over the Nobel Peace Prize nomination after Trump's summit in June last year with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
  • The Washington Post article
    Pushed again to confirm or deny the report, he added: “I am not saying it’s not true.”

Sources: The Washington Post reliable · cnbc.com reliable · NBC News reliable · factcheck.org reliable

Jun 2017 TIME says a framed cover at Trump golf clubs is not real

On June 27, 2017, The Washington Post reported that a framed TIME cover dated March 1, 2009 hung in at least four of Donald Trump's golf clubs, "from South Florida to Scotland," according to the Post story as syndicated by The Boston Globe. The cover featured Trump and the headline "The 'Apprentice' is a television smash!" TIME published no issue on that date; its closest cover, on March 2, 2009, featured Kate Winslet (NBC News, VOA). Time Inc. spokeswoman Kerri Chyka said: "I can confirm that this is not a real TIME cover" (Boston Globe). TIME asked the Trump Organization to remove the covers (NBC News, CNBC). NBC reported that Post reporter David Fahrenthold had counted seven locations by June 28, and that it was unclear who made the cover or whether Trump knew of it. The Trump Organization did not respond to questions, and White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, "We couldn't comment on the decor at Trump Golf clubs one way or another" (Boston Globe).

  • bostonglobe.com article
    The framed copy of Time Magazine was hung up in at least four of President Trump’s golf clubs, from South Florida to Scotland.
  • cnbc.com article
    Time magazine has since requested the Trump Organization to remove all fake copies from display.
  • NBC News article
    That's because the cover hanging in several Trump Organization clubs is a phony, a Time spokesperson confirmed to NBC News.

Sources: bostonglobe.com needs a second source · NBC News reliable · learningenglish.voanews.com needs a second source · cnbc.com reliable

May 2017 Saudi Arabia's Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud

On May 20, 2017, during the Riyadh stop of his first foreign trip as president, King Salman placed the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud around Trump's neck at the Royal Court. The host said Trump was being honored for "his quest to enhance security and stability in the region and around the world." AP reporting on PBS called it the kingdom's highest civilian honor and noted that Saudi Arabia had previously given it to Vladimir Putin, Theresa May and Barack Obama. This is a real decoration that a foreign government gave to a sitting US president. Much of the coverage focused on whether Trump bowed to receive the medal. CNN reported that the moment split social media and recalled Trump's earlier criticism of Obama's 2009 bow to King Abdullah. The cited reports give no value for the medal, do not say where it went, and do not report ethics objections to it.

  • CNN article
    The action lasted mere seconds, but it has split social media and left people pondering: When is a bend a bow?
  • timesofisrael.com article
    The king placed the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud around Trump’s neck at a ceremony at the Royal Court in Riyadh.
  • Public Broadcasting Service article
    Trump bent down so the king could place the gold medal around his neck.

Sources: arabnews.com needs a second source · timesofisrael.com needs a second source · Public Broadcasting Service reliable · CNN reliable

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