The Truth About The Strange Gift Kristi Noem Gave Donald Trump

One of the perks of being president is all the amazing gifts you receive from foreign leaders — if you were allowed to keep them all, that is. 

It's traditional for foreign dignitaries to present U.S. presidents with lavish gifts when they meet, but the items end up being turned over to the National Archives unless the recipient is willing to pay market value to keep them (via USA Today). Trump's gifts span all across the globe. He received a $16,250 dinnerware set featuring images of his Mar-a-Lago resort from Chinese President Xi Jinping. Vietnam's prime minister seemingly tried to tempt Trump to fork over the dough to keep his opulent gift: a $1,880 portrait of the former president created with gemstones that probably wouldn't look out-of-place in Trump Tower. And Saudi Arabia gave him robes lined with cheetah and tiger fur, while Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe likely scored some points with a president who reportedly spent 307 days of his presidency golfing by presenting him with a $3,755 golden golf club.

According to a financial disclosure report obtained by one The New York Times reporter, Trump's gifts from American citizens were impressive too. They included more golf clubs, a $5,999 Mac Pro from Apple CEO Tim Cook, a $529 leather bomber jacket from Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman Bill Ford, and an odd statue detailed below. Indeed, during Donald Trump's presidency, American citizens did shower him with gifts too — and this one takes the cake, bizarre-wise.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem stroked Donald Trump's ego "bigly" by commissioning an interesting bronze bust that The Daily Beast obtained a photo of. It was a miniature replica of the most famous landmark in Noem's state: Mount Rushmore. However, Trump's visage had been added beside that of Abraham Lincoln, tie and all. Noem gave the sculpture to the former president when he delivered a speech at Mount Rushmore on July 3, 2020.

Private donors paid for the $1,100 bust, which was made by artists Lee Leuning and Sherri Treeby. Three copies were created and they're "bookshelf sized" per the outlet. The doners were both proud Trump supporters at the time. However, artist Leuning told The Daily Beast that he'd "vote for Noem or the Florida guy [Ron DeSantis]" in 2024. 

In August 2020, The New York Times reported that White House aides had contacted Noem's office in 2019 to ask about how to, indeed, have another president added to her state's massive monument. During a 2018 interview with the Argus Leader, Noem recounted a conversation she had with Trump about his likeness being immortalized in the Black Hills. "He goes, 'Do you know it's my dream to have my face on Mount Rushmore?'" she recalled. "I started laughing. He wasn't laughing, so he was totally serious." As reported by Forbes, Trump denied the Times report on Twitter, but did later say, "A good idea to me!"