[Washington] U.S. Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have sent letters to a Belgian diamond industry group and a jeweler demanding explanations regarding a lavish ring gifted to President Donald Trump just weeks before additional tariffs on European natural diamonds were waived. The senators denounced the sequence of events as “cartoonish bribery” and warned of serious legal concerns that may violate federal bribery laws.
At issue is an 18-karat gold ring adorned with 321 diamonds and 75 gemstones. The ring was crafted by Antwerp-based jeweler David Gotlib Luxury Cufflinks and is engraved inside with the words “Crafted in Antwerp for Donald John Trump.”
According to reports by Reuters and U.S. financial news site Benzinga as of August 12, the ring was presented to President Trump on June 28 during a ceremony in Brussels commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence. Isidore Mursell, chairman of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), delivered the gift through Bill White, the U.S. Ambassador to Belgium.
Twenty-seven days after the presentation, on July 24, the Trump administration formally excluded European natural diamonds from new tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act. This effectively restored the zero-percent tariff rate for Belgium’s diamond industry, which had been lost after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the administration’s initial tariff measures in February.
In their letter dated August 10 and addressed to the AWDC and David Gotlib, Senators Warren and Blumenthal sharply criticized the situation, writing: “At best, a gift in the midst of a significant tariff decision creates an appearance of impropriety. At worst, it reinforces the perception that foreign companies can simply ‘purchase’ tariff exemptions by lavishing glittering gifts on President Trump.”
Regarding the ring’s value, Reuters cited media reports estimating it at $25,000 to $35,000. Benzinga, however, reported a valuation of approximately $1 million, indicating a significant discrepancy in appraisals.
In their letter, the senators suggested this ring is not an isolated incident but part of a “broader pattern” in which corporate executives present gold-themed gifts before securing favorable trade rulings from the Trump administration. Senator Warren last year called President Trump “the most corrupt president in our nation’s history,” citing his personal cryptocurrency meme coin ventures and “million-dollar dinners” with CEOs.
The White House has denied granting preferential treatment to any specific interest group. A senior administration official told Reuters that the ring is federal government property and that if the president wishes to keep it personally, he must pay the government its market value. Benzinga did not receive an immediate comment from the White House.
The two senators have demanded detailed responses from the AWDC and David Gotlib by August 24. Their requests include specifics on who conceived the ring, how it was funded, the full extent of communications with Ambassador White’s office before and after the ceremony, and estimates of the additional profits AWDC member companies expect to gain from the restoration of the tariff exemption.
Antwerp is known as the world’s largest diamond trading hub and represents a critical export industry for Belgium’s economy. The controversy surrounding this tariff exemption raises new questions about the transparency of U.S. trade policy decision-making and could cast a shadow over future U.S.-European trade relations.