Learning Center > Presidential Gifts

Presidential Gifts

During their White House years President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan received more that 100,000 gifts, not including plants, flowers, and food or drink items. Most came from private individuals from both the United States and elsewhere, while some presents were given by high-ranking officials in keeping with a practice that had its origins in antiquity.

Head of State Gifts
The tradition of gifts exchanged between heads of state is as old as civilization itself, with its history predating the written records of mankind. At times, relations between nations are strained as different cultures and national interests confront each other. To avoid unnecessary quarrels and disagreements, rules of conduct among sovereign states developed through the years. The practice of diplomacy provides the means to resolve differences and to preserve national honor without resorting to violence. State meetings provided the avenues of diplomatic exchanges between nations, allowing sovereigns to discuss matters of mutual interest according to prescribed forms of diplomatic protocol. The gifts exchanged were part of the ceremonial nature of the public role of summit diplomacy.

For U.S. Government officials, this long tradition of exchanging gifts must be carried out in accordance with the Constitution, which prohibits anyone in the federal government – up to and including the president – from receiving a personal gift from a foreign head of state without the consent of Congress. The legal framework enacted by Congress to govern the acceptance and retention of gifts from foreign officials is the largely the same for the president and his spouse as it is for other federal employees and their spouses. Federal employees (or employees and their spouses combined) are not allowed to retain any gift or gifts from a foreign government if the total U.S. retail value of gifts presented at one occasion exceed an amount set by the General Services Administration (GSA), a federal agency. This amount was set at $100 at the start of the Reagan Administration, and rose to $180 by the end of the administration. Gifts over the minimum value are considered gifts to the people of the United States. Such gifts can be retained by the recipient only if he or she pays the full market price to GSA.

Learning Center > Presidential Gifts Presidential Gifts During their White House years President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan received more that 100,000 gifts, not including plants, flowers, and food or drink items. Most came from private individuals from both the United States and elsewhere, while some presents were given by high-ranking officials in keeping with a practice that had its origins in antiquity. Head of State Gifts The tradition of gifts exchanged between heads of state is as old as civilization itself, with its history predating the written records of mankind. At times, relations between nations are strained as different cultures and national interests confront each other. To avoid unnecessary quarrels and disagreements, rules of conduct among sovereign states developed through the years. The practice of diplomacy provides the means to resolve differences and to preserve national honor without resorting to violence. State meetings provided the avenues of diplomatic exchanges between nations, allowing sovereigns to discuss matters of mutual interest according to prescribed forms of diplomatic protocol. The gifts exchanged were part of the ceremonial nature of the public role of summit diplomacy. For U.S. Government officials, this long tradition of exchanging gifts must be carried out in accordance with the Constitution, which prohibits anyone in the federal government – up to and including the president – from receiving a personal gift from a foreign head of state without the consent of Congress. The legal framework enacted by Congress to govern the acceptance and retention of gifts from foreign officials is the largely the same for the president and his spouse as it is for other federal employees and their spouses. Federal employees (or employees and their spouses combined) are not allowed to retain any gift or gifts from a foreign government if the total U.S. retail value of gifts presented at one occasion exceed an amount set by the General Services Administration (GSA), a federal agency. This amount was set at $100 at the start of the Reagan Administration, and rose to $180 by the end of the administration. Gifts over the minimum value are considered gifts to the people of the United States. Such gifts can be retained by the recipient only if he or she pays the full market price to GSA.