Throughout his administration, former President Donald Trump was criticized for his efforts to ingratiate the Saudi Arabian kingdom without condemning its human rights abuses.
When U.S. resident and Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered on the order of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, the Trump administration continued to negotiate with the Saudi royal family. In a statement, Trump defended them as a "great ally" and said Khashoggi was likely an "enemy of the state."
Trump showered Saudi Arabia with favors as well, resuming the sale of precision-guided bombs to the nation, despite concerns on civilian deaths resulting from airstrikes in Yemen. Trump vetoed bills preventing billions of dollars in weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and the U.S. threatened to veto a United Nations resolution condemning the Saudi kingdom's human rights abuses in Yemen.
And in 2017, Trump chose Saudi Arabia for his first presidential trip abroad.
Trump has been criticized in the past for being too susceptible to flattery, so he was overjoyed when Saudi officials lavished him with extravagant robes of cheetah and white tiger fur, along with a dagger sporting an ivory handle.
The administration didn't disclose the gifts (whose possession, according to a White House lawyer, likely violated the Endangered Species Act) to government accountability offices.
Now, a new report from Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times, details the saga of what happened to the gifts in the final days after Trump's presidency.
The administration finally turned them over to the Government Services Administration instead of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the correct agency), which eventually seized them.
But soon, experts discovered that the immensely wealthy Saudi royal family had gifted Trump with fake furs.
An Interior Department spokesperson said:
"Wildlife inspectors and special agents determined the linings of the robes were dyed to mimic tiger and cheetah patterns and were not comprised of protected species."
People couldn't resist mocking Trump.
This is the funniest tweet i'll read todayhttps://twitter.com/nytmike/status/1447463399982522371\u00a0\u2026— Emily GorCIAnski (@Emily GorCIAnski) 1633977795
My friend Bob Sacamano can get them one at Battery Park for $40.https://twitter.com/nytmike/status/1447463399982522371\u00a0\u2026— Doug Heye (@Doug Heye) 1633957954
Who said you can't con a con man?https://twitter.com/nytmike/status/1447463399982522371\u00a0\u2026— SteveG (@SteveG) 1633976411
My favorite line in the piece is this Bruce Riedel quote, \u201cThe two most important things for them is to look like they\u2019re aboveboard world actors, and are rich and show their wealth,\u201d because I have no idea whether he means the Saudis or the Trumps.https://twitter.com/nytmike/status/1447463399982522371\u00a0\u2026— Eric VanNewkirk (@Eric VanNewkirk) 1633949862
"Fakes that had been dyed." Describes the lot of them.https://twitter.com/nytmike/status/1447463399982522371\u00a0\u2026— Jo Lown \ud83c\udfa8\ud83c\udf34\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Jo Lown \ud83c\udfa8\ud83c\udf34\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1633959665
For many, the exchange perfectly characterized Trump and his administration.
shows the Saudis knew Trump better than most Americans did.https://twitter.com/nytmike/status/1447463399982522371\u00a0\u2026— Joe Lockhart (@Joe Lockhart) 1633979815
The Saudis dealing fake illegal pelts to Trump is totally on brand for both.https://twitter.com/nytmike/status/1447463399982522371\u00a0\u2026— emptywheel (@emptywheel) 1633948754
The perfect gift for the cheapest man alive.https://twitter.com/nytmike/status/1447463399982522371\u00a0\u2026— Gary Legum (@Gary Legum) 1633981399
There is something so perfect about this.https://twitter.com/nytmike/status/1447463399982522371\u00a0\u2026— Katty Kay (@Katty Kay) 1633973610
The millions of dollars Trump made from the Saudi government, however, were very real.
