INV-062 · Money & ethics · Payments to the President
Swiss gold bar and Rolex clock before a tariff cut
Stage 2 of 5: Inquiry · Letters and records requests · Last development 14 Oct 2026
On 4 November 2025 Swiss business leaders from MKS, Rolex, Richemont, Mercuria and Partners Group met Trump in the Oval Office and gave him a 1 kg engraved gold bar worth a little over $130,000 and a Rolex desk clock. Less than two weeks later the US agreed to cut tariffs on Swiss goods from 39% to 15%. Senate Finance ranking member Ron Wyden asked the Trade Representative how the rates were set and whether Swiss negotiators mentioned the gifts. Related case: INV-002.
White House officials say Trump accepted the gifts on behalf of his presidential library, which they say makes them lawful, and the Swiss side says they were a gift to the American people. No official body has found that the gifts influenced the tariff decision; no public answer to Wyden's letter has been found.
- People
- Donald Trump, Jamieson Greer
- Agencies
- USTR, White House
- Reviewed by
- Senate Finance (minority)
Money involved
- $130,000 1 kg gold bar given to Trump by Swiss executives ("a little over $130,000"; accepted for his library, per the White House) (Money to the president, his family or officials, estimate) [2]
Timeline
Swiss trade chief Helene Budliger Artieda says the items were "a gift to the American people", registered at the White House, and should end up in a presidential library. [4]
Sen. Ron Wyden, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, writes to Trade Representative Jamieson Greer with five questions, due 11 February, including who recommended the cut and whether Swiss negotiators told USTR about the gifts. [1]
Two Swiss members of parliament ask the Swiss Attorney General to examine possible bribery of foreign officials; the office confirms receipt but opens no investigation. [3]
Less than two weeks after the meeting, the US agrees to cut tariffs on Swiss goods from 39% to 15% (exact date not given in the source). [3]
Swiss executives, including Marwan Shakarchi (MKS) and Jean-Frédéric Dufour (Rolex), meet Trump in the Oval Office and give him a 1 kg personalised gold bar worth a little over $130,000 and a Rolex desk clock. [2]
Responses
Who is acting on it
- Letter Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR): Asked Trade Representative Greer who recommended the Swiss tariff cut and whether Swiss negotiators told USTR about the gifts (29 Jan 2026, No reply or result recorded yet)
Sources
Cite this case
Public Trust Tracker. "Swiss gold bar and Rolex clock before a tariff cut" (INV-062). Last updated 14 Oct 2026. https://publictrusttracker.org/case/inv-062-swiss-gold-bar-and-rolex-clock-before-a-tariff-cut/
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