You've heard the old adage don't show up empty-handed, but what do you get the president of the United States when you're visiting the White House?

For a delegation of Swiss business executives, the answer for the CEO of Rolex was gifting President Trump a gold-plated desk clock styled like a Rolex watch.

And how do you top a Rolex?

Well, the CEO of a precious metals company presented an engraved gold bar, according to the Swiss newspaper Blick.

Now, Trump is not the first U.S. leader to receive fancy gifts from foreign representatives.

In 1985, Saudi Arabia gave Ronald Reagan a gold an enamel egg with a tiny, bedjeweled clock inside.

Like the pair of Komodo dragons, Indonesia

presented to President George H.W. Bush. The country of Azerbaijan gifted the Clintons in

1997 a fancy rug and blazoned with their portraits on it. In this case, the Swiss businessman

were officially at the White House to discuss, quote, bilateral cooperation and mutual prosperity.

But their prosperity is greatly tied to the U.S. market and the steep tariffs the Trump administration imposed

on Swiss imports this summer. Their visit came last week, and this week, the White House announced

a deal with Switzerland, lowering the tariff rate from 39% to 15%.

It appears as if there's a quid pro quo of a gift from foreign interest to the president

in return for concession on tariffs.

Richard Painter was the Chief White House Ethics Attorney under George W. Bush.

He's now a law professor at the University of Minnesota.

Once this precedent is said,

we'll have other countries and industries offering the same. And this is a matter of grave concern

for the United States. Consider this. This year, President Trump, or his family's businesses,

have been offered a plane, crypto investments, and now a Rolex and a gold bar, among

other things. What gifts can a president accept, and why does it matter?

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