Foreign leaders lavish Obama with gifts he won’t keep

The inventory of world leaders’ gifts to President Barack Obama last year reads like the props list from a forthcoming “Hangover” movie. It includes a $2,484 box of chocolates; a 50-inch-tall bronze statue of a cheetah; 12 bottles of pisco, Peru’s national liquor; and 20 white baseball caps with the president’s image on them. By law, Obama must turn them over to the National Archives or other institutions for storage or display. He can pay fair market value for those he wants to keep – but he appears to have opted not to hold on to any items from his 2013 haul.

Non-acceptance would cause embarrassment to donor and U.S. Government.

the US State Department

The most expensive present to Obama came from Qatar’s ambassador to the U.S. It was a 26-inch-tall “amber-colored sculpture depicting a falcon perched on a branch looking over its shoulder,” valued at $10,408, according to the State Department report. That’s not a lot of cash when compared to some of the presents First Lady Michelle Obama received, including an 18-carat gold jewellery set with yellow sapphires and diamonds from Queen Pengiran Anak Saleha of Brunei. Estimated value? $71,468. The first lady did not keep the gift.

Americas