Joe Biden and his family were given tens of thousands of dollars in gifts from foreign leaders in 2023, according to an annual accounting published by the state department on Thursday, with the first lady, Jill Biden, receiving the single most expensive present: a $20,000 diamond from India’s leader.
The 7.5-carat diamond from the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, was easily the most costly gift presented to any member of the first family in 2023, although she also received a brooch valued at $14,063 from the Ukrainian ambassador to the US and a bracelet, brooch and photograph album worth $4,510 from the president and first lady of Egypt.
The US president himself received a number of valuable presents, including a commemorative photo album valued at $7,100 from South Korea’s recently impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, a $3,495 statue of Mongolian warriors from the Mongolian prime minister, a $3,300 silver bowl from the sultan of Brunei, a $3,160 sterling silver tray from the president of Israel and a collage worth $2,400 from the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Annual report details gifts given to first family by foreign leaders, most of which are transferred to National Archives