Gaudy and gilded gifts are the way to Donald Trump’s heart. A Qatari jumbo jet aside, few have been quite as ostentatious as a piece of jewellery Mr Trump received from representatives of Belgium’s diamond industry in June. The watch-sized ring is studded with 321 diamonds, 56 sapphires, 13 emeralds and six rubies. Diamonds spell out two giant “T”s and the numbers 45 and 47 (Mr Trump is America’s 45th and 47th president). Four weeks after receiving the present, Mr Trump approved a tariff exemption worth billions of dollars to Belgium’s diamond industry.
Now Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal, two Democratic senators, are demanding answers about the gift. The ring’s manufacturers have until Monday to explain themselves to Congress. The Trump administration and Belgium’s diamond industry deny any special favours, claiming that the tariff exemption goes back to a trade agreement signed with the European Union in 2025. Diamonds are made under pressure; this week the ring’s makers will feel some of their own.
