Switzerland’s top trade official says gifts to Trump ‘were for the American people’

Gifts to Trump: Seco, “they were for the American people” Keystone-SDA

The gifts presented in November 2025 by Swiss businessmen to US President Donald Trump were not intended personally for the then 79-year-old, but for the American people.

This was stated by Helene Budliger Artieda, Director of the Swiss Secretariat for Economics Affairs (SECO), who clarified that this was a private-sector initiative.

“The gifts are duly registered at the White House and, if all goes well, will end up in a presidential library,” the outgoing State Secretary (who has tendered her resignation, effective at the end of March 2027) said today in an interview with Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of an economic forum in New Delhi.

In the midst of the tariff dispute, a delegation of Swiss business leaders had travelled to the US to negotiate with the president over tariffs. During the meeting, Trump was presented with a Rolex table clock and an engraved gold ingot, with a combined value of around CHF100,000 ($120,580).

According to Budliger Artieda, these were “serious businesspeople” who had certainly carried out legal checks beforehand. “I am convinced that everything was done in accordance with the law,” she said. The delegation included, among others, Partners Group co-founder Alfred Gantner, Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour and Richemont chairman Johann Rupert.

Meanwhile, the visit in question continues to spark debate in Switzerland. The House of Representatives Control Committee has announced that it intends to examine the federal authorities’ handling of US tariffs. A report on the topic is expected to be finalised by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Budliger Artieda has expressed satisfaction with the current state of play in the negotiations on trade barriers between Switzerland and the United States. Since November 2025, when the two countries were able to announce a reduction in US tariffs from 39% to 15%, the US has complied with the agreement.

Ultimately, Bern is seeking above all certainty and “calmer waters” in trade relations, following the turbulent period that ensued after Trump’s announcement of customs tariffs on so-called “Liberation Day” in April 2025. “Otherwise, it is very difficult for Swiss exporters,” the former ambassador observed. Talks on a legally binding agreement are, however, still ongoing, she concluded.

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Translated from Italian, reviewed by an English Department journalist.