Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s $20,000 diamond gift to Jill Biden topped the list of most expensive gifts to the US First Family in 2023, according to an annual accounting report.
According to an annual accounting published by the US State Department on January 2, The 7.5-carat diamond from Modi, the most costliest gift presented to any member of the first family in 2023. Jill Biden also received a $14,063 brooch from the Ukrainian ambassador to the US and a bracelet, brooch and photograph album worth $4,510 from Egypt’s president and first lady.
The USD 20,000 diamond was retained for official use in the White House East Wing, according to a State Department document, while the other gifts to the president and first lady were sent to the archives. The first lady’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the diamond’s use.
Federal law requires executive branch officials to declare gifts they receive from foreign leaders and counterparts that have an estimated value of more than USD 480.
The US president himself received a number of expensive 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.
Also 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 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
