POTUS to 'ring' in America's 250th with Belgian Delight, a Tariffic gift

Brussels: Dozens of diamonds spell out two giant letter "T" next to the Stars and Stripes and "1776" and "2026". Dozens more frame the numbers 45 and 47 in the shape of Superman's logo. A diamond-winged eagle carries a ruby shield and clutches an olive branch of emeralds, below a radiant "250" and atop the phrase "250 YEARS USA" etched in 18-karat gold.

All told, 321 diamonds, 56 sapphires, 13 emeralds and six rubies encrust the watch-sized gold ring presented this week to Bill White, the US ambassador to Belgium, to give to President Donald Trump.

"A very special thank you to my friends from Antwerp for the magnificent Freedom 250 ring," Trump said in a prerecorded video message during an event marking America's 250th birthday in Brussels.


Isidore Morsel, president of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre or AWDC, gifted the ring on behalf of the centuries-old diamond community in the Belgian port city, a central node in the worldwide trade of the precious stones that found itself struggling last year under the weight of Trump's sweeping trade war.

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"May this ring serve as a lasting reminder that true partnership like the finest natural diamonds are formed under pressure, endure the test of time, and shine brightest when built on trust," Morsel said.

The ring's interior is engraved with the phrase "Crafted in Antwerp for Donald John Trump."

In dollar terms, the ring's value pales beside gifts like the $400 million plane donated by Qatar that Trump ordered converted into a new Air Force One. But it's a glitzy window into the role that ostentatious and almost always gilded - gifts are playing by those seeking to curry favour with the US president.

A White House source, said Thursday that the ring has not been presented to Trump yet. The gift comes months after Belgium's diamond industry won the removal of US tariffs on diamond imports.

In September, AWDC said it had "succeeded in securing a zero percent import tariff" on Antwerp's annual export of more than $2 billion of polished diamonds to the US.

A spokesperson for the group said on Thursday that the AWDC provided "input" to the European Commission as it negotiated with Trump on a broad deal on tariffs in 2025, but did not itself lobby the administration.

US presidents have considerable discretion to accept gifts from domestic and foreign sources and may determine themselves whether a gift was meant for them personally or the nation.

The exception is those from foreign governments, which are prohibited by the foreign emoluments clause of the Constitution without congressional assent, though presidents could use personal funds to reimburse the Treasury for the full value of an official gift if they wish to retain them.