Antwerp diamond group gives jeweled ring intended for Trump
The gift follows the removal of U.S. tariffs on Antwerp polished diamonds and adds to scrutiny of gifts accepted by Trump.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
An Antwerp diamond trade group has presented a gem-covered gold ring intended for President Donald Trump, months after the industry said it secured relief from U.S. import tariffs. The Associated Press reported that the gift highlights how lavish personal tributes have become part of the political orbit around Trump.
The Antwerp World Diamond Center, known as AWDC, gave the ring this week to Bill White, the U.S. ambassador to Belgium, for delivery to Trump, AP reported. A White House official told AP on Thursday that Trump had not yet received it.
The ring was made by Antwerp jeweler David Gotlib and carries heavy patriotic imagery tied to the United States’ 250th anniversary, according to AP. It includes 321 diamonds, 56 sapphires, 13 emeralds and six rubies set in 18-karat gold, with designs that include two large letter T’s, the Stars and Stripes, the years “1776” and “2026,” the numbers 45 and 47 framed in the shape of Superman’s logo, and the words “250 YEARS USA.”
AP reported that the inside of the ring is engraved, “Crafted in Antwerp for Donald John Trump.” Isidore Mörsel, president of AWDC, presented it on behalf of Antwerp’s diamond community, which has played a long-running role in the global diamond trade.
Trump thanked the Antwerp group in a prerecorded video message played at a Brussels event marking the U.S. anniversary, AP reported. White later posted on social media that the ring would be displayed in the Oval Office after he gives it to Trump.
The gift followed a trade victory for the Belgian diamond sector. AP reported that AWDC said in September it had secured a zero percent U.S. import tariff on more than $2 billion in annual Antwerp polished diamond exports to the United States. An AWDC spokesperson told AP the group gave input to the European Commission during broader tariff talks with Trump in 2025, but said AWDC did not lobby the administration itself.
Neither AWDC nor Gotlib gave AP a value for the ring. Two independent jewelers who reviewed it for AP estimated it at $25,000 to $35,000. Jewelry consultant Alexander Levinson put the value at $25,928, while Canadian luxury jeweler David Saad estimated $33,000 to $35,000, with both saying materials and labor each made up about half the cost.
AP reported that U.S. presidents have broad authority to accept gifts, while gifts from foreign governments are restricted by the Constitution’s foreign emoluments clause unless Congress consents. Presidents can keep official gifts by reimbursing the Treasury at full value, and personal gifts are supposed to appear on annual financial disclosures.
Trump’s 2025 disclosure, released this week, listed a $250,000 sculpture showing his gesture after surviving a 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, and tickets to 10 sporting events, AP reported. Four ethics experts told AP that Trump has departed from long-standing White House practice by accepting such gifts.
The Brussels celebration drew more than 8,000 attendees, according to AP. White said he raised more than $5.5 million for the event from sponsors including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Intel, Google, Meta, Leonidas and Ferrero, and AWDC said it also contributed funds.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.