FLASH
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The offer of a luxury plane to Donald Trump from the Qatari royal family, as part of the US president's visit to the region, which will be used as Air Force One, has sparked much discussion.
Traditionally, for centuries, in the context of diplomacy and rapprochement, foreign leaders have used gifts as a "tool" to strengthen relationships and "break the ice."
As for the "planetary chief", most of the offerings are transferred to the national archives or the presidential library.
The list of gifts in the US is ancient and includes clothes, food, wine, a bowling alley, a ping-pong table, a fossilized dinosaur footprint and even a stuffed lion.
The oak "Resolute" table, where Donald Trump signed, immediately after being elected president of the United States, a record number of executive orders, was offered by Queen Victoria, in 1880, of the 19th century, to President Rutherford B Hayes.
"Resolute" is located at the Jimmy Carter Historical Center, in Plains, Ga.
In 1997, the then-president of Azerbaijan presented Bill Clinton and the first lady with a carpet with their faces, made in a matter of weeks. After Heydar Aliyev accepted an invitation to visit the White House, 12 women worked on the carpet, a process that usually takes months.
In 2008, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gifted George W. Bush a bicycle after learning that the then-president had injured his knee.
Bush also received a stuffed lion, a gift from the president of Tanzania, and a Komodo dragon from the president of Indonesia.
The presidential library of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, has thousands of gifts, including Christmas ornaments and silver cufflinks. 80 pairs of boxer shorts are among the most ridiculous gifts offered to Obama.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library has amassed millions of government, presidential, and personal documents, as well as thousands of gifts and artifacts.
Donald Trump has already received, for example, a painting from the president of El Salvador and golf clubs from the prime minister of Japan, worth $250,000.
Under U.S. law, foreign gifts worth less than $480 can be given to federal officials. Above that amount, it is considered a gift to the "people of the United States," meaning it is recorded and evaluated by a White House team.
Most offerings are transferred to the national archives or the presidential library. On the other hand, if the gift pleases the president, the leader can keep it, as long as he pays a fair market value.
Plane offered by Qatar: the most expensive gift in history
Donald Trump's intention to stick to Qatar's offer has drawn criticism from Democratic senators.
The US Constitution prohibits officials from accepting gifts "from a king, prince, or foreign power."
Donald Trump strongly argues that it would be "foolish" to refuse the gift and says he intends to use it as a new presidential jet to replace the current Air Force One. In addition, he assured that he would not use the plane for personal purposes after the end of his term.
The White House press office clarifies that "any gift" given by a foreign government is "always acceptable in full compliance with all laws" and adds that President Trump is "committed to complete transparency."
With a value of approximately 360 million euros, the Boeing 747-8 is expected to be the most expensive gift in the history of the United States.
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