XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, alt.politics   
   From: super70s@super70s.invalid   
      
   Senator demands answers after Trump accepted Rolex and gold bar before   
   slashing tariffs on Switzerland   
   By Ariana Baio   
   The Independent   
   Thu, January 29, 2026 at 12:07 PM CST   
      
   President Donald Trump is being asked to provide more information about   
   the Rolex watch and gold bar he accepted from Swiss businessmen last   
   year, shortly before agreeing to lower tariffs on Swiss goods, by the   
   top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee.   
      
   Oregon Senator Ron Wyden is seeking more details to determine whether   
   the president violated laws by accepting the gifts before cutting the   
   deal, according to the letter seen by Bloomberg.   
      
   In November, a delegation of Swiss businessmen visited the White House   
   to speak with Trump after he imposed a 39 percent tariff on Swiss   
   goods. Shortly thereafter, a Rolex table clock, which does not appear   
   to be available for purchase by the general public, appeared on the   
   president's desk.   
      
   In addition, a custom gold bar was displayed on the Resolute Desk,   
   worth more than $130,000, according to Wyden's office.   
      
   Less than two weeks later, Trump announced a deal that reduced Swiss   
   tariffs from 39 percent - the highest tariff placed on any Western   
   country - to 15 percent. The Swiss tariffs remain at this rate.   
      
   At the time, the White House said the gifts were donations to Trump's   
   future presidential library, complied with U.S. and Swiss laws and were   
   cleared by the White House legal counsel.   
      
   In his letter, Wyden wrote: "Trump's acceptance of gifts of significant   
   monetary value just days before lowering tariffs on goods from   
   Switzerland creates a blatant conflict of interest and possible   
   constitutional violations."   
      
   The Independent has asked Senator Wyden's office for comment.   
      
   The foreign and domestic emoluments clauses are some of the U.S.'s   
   oldest anticorruption buffers. Under the Foreign Emoluments Clause,   
   federal officials are prohibited from accepting a present, office,   
   title or payment from another head of state without the consent of   
   Congress.   
      
   Wyden also questioned whether Swiss negotiators informed U.S. Trade   
   Representative Jamieson Greer of the gifts before or after presenting   
   them to Trump and which administration official recommended the new,   
   lower tariff rate.   
      
   The White House pushed back on suggestions of a conflict of interest.   
      
   White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement: "Switzerland   
   secured a trade deal and lower tariffs by reducing their unfair trade   
   barriers and committing to invest billions in the United States.   
      
   "The only special interest guiding President Trump's decision-making is   
   the best interest of the American people, and any suggestion otherwise   
   is completely unfounded. President Trump is an extraordinarily   
   successful businessman who can afford his own Swiss table clock."   
      
   Trump's decision to slap a 39 percent tariff on Switzerland in August   
   stunned the country's officials, since the U.S. is the top export   
   destination for Swiss goods such as pharmaceuticals, luxury watches and   
   precious metals.   
      
   While in Davos last week, Trump said he imposed the tariff at a higher   
   rate because he was "rubbed the wrong way" by former Swiss President   
   Karin Keller-Sutter. Subsequently, Swiss officials reportedly struggled   
   to convince the president to lower the tariff rate before the   
   delegation of businessmen helped thaw tensions, according to Reuters.   
      
   Trump has a well-known love for lavish, personalized gifts, which has   
   raised questions about presidential ethics. Lawmakers and nonprofit   
   organizations have said that the appearance of accepting such gifts   
   leads to concerns about quid-pro-quos or giving certain countries   
   preferential treatment as a result.   
      
   "This affair also creates a perception that lavishing gifts on the   
   President, rather than negotiating with [US Trade Representative] is   
   the best way for trading partners to engage with the United States,"   
   Wyden wrote.   
      
   Over the last year, Trump has publicly accepted a gold crown from South   
   Korea, a 24-karat gold and glass plaque from Apple CEO Tim Cook, the   
   "FIFA Peace Prize" from FIFA President Gianni Infantino, a gold pager   
   from Israel, a portrait from Russian President Vladimir Putin of the   
   leaders together and a $400 million luxury Boeing 747 jet from Qatar to   
   serve as the new Air Force One, before being transferred to his   
   presidential library.   
      
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