First Lady Jill Biden received two high-value gifts from Ukraine and India in 2023, according to a newly released government report.
The State Department’s report, published in the Federal Register, detailed approximately 11 pages of gifts received by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden last year. While many items, such as books and artwork, were of limited monetary value, two particular gifts for Jill Biden stood out.
On June 22, 2023, she received a 7.5-carat lab-grown diamond, estimated to be worth $20,000, from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The gift was designated as “Retained for Official Use in the East Wing.”
Jill Biden gets the priciest gift from a foreign leader in 2023 — a $20,000 diamond https://t.co/uLMhG3KMGo pic.twitter.com/GNjFzxKsxX
— New York Post (@nypost) January 3, 2025
Earlier in the year, on February 7, Jill Biden was presented with a “Steel Fragment Forget-Me-Not Flower Brooch” valued at $14,063. This gift, also retained for official use, was given by Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States.
Most gifts received by the Bidens have been transferred to the National Archives, according to the report. Vanessa Valdivia, a spokesperson for Jill Biden, indicated that the diamond will be given to the National Archives when the Bidens leave office. However, Valdivia did not comment on the diamond’s current use.
President Joe Biden also received valuable items, including a commemorative photo album worth $7,100 from former South Korean President Suk Yeol Yoon, a $3,495 statue of Mongolian warriors from Mongolia’s prime minister, and a $2,400 collage from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
When CNN analyzed the report, it determined that the diamond was the most expensive gift received by the Bidens.
The report also noted that the Central Intelligence Agency destroyed approximately $132,000 worth of gifts it received, including luxury watches and jewelry.
Under federal guidelines, executive branch officials must declare gifts received from foreign leaders if their value exceeds $480.
