Solid gold, royal missives and Nobel noms: how to win Trump over
The scene -- which unfolded Wednesday in the Oval Office -- is just one of many over-the-top efforts made by world leaders and industry titans to get in Trump's good graces.
The Republican billionaire president is known for loving all that glitters -- as evidenced by the gilded revamp of his office -- and also loves seeing his name in bold font.
Both of those things did not escape Cook, who is mindful of remaining friendly with a head of state known for condemning Apple for not making its iconic iPhones in the United States -- and occasionally threatening to punish the company.
Beyond promising an additional $100 billion investment in the United States, Cook also offered Trump a gleaming gift made in the USA -- a glass disk produced in Kentucky and designed by a former Marine Corps corporal now working at Apple.
'Visionary'
On a more solemn note, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet just nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize -- an honor that the real estate mogul-reality television star-president believes he deserves for meditating various conflicts.
Hun Manet's letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Trump's "visionary and innovative diplomacy" as well as his "historic contributions in advancing world peace."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, keen to maintain Washington's support for his government during the Gaza war, also nominated Trump, as did Pakistan. A Nobel announcement is expected in October.
The nominations come against the backdrop of the largely protectionist trade agenda crafted by Trump, who has bludgeoned partners and rivals alike with tariffs that in some cases are eye-watering.
Some foreign leaders and business tycoons seem to have understood how the 79-year-old Trump ticks better than others.
For their White House talks in late February, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer brought with him a letter signed by King Charles III, inviting Trump -- a lover of all things royal -- for an official visit.
The Labor leader also visited the US president while he was on a quasi-holiday in Scotland -- and dutifully admired two of Trump's golf clubs.
Most UK products are subject to a 10-percent base rate tariff, which is lower than the 15 percent agreed upon by the European Union.
- 'She didn't want to listen' -
One of the countries facing the highest tariffs is Switzerland, with nearly 60 percent of its exports to the United States hit with a 39-percent levy.
Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter did not get face time with Trump during her emergency visit to Washington this week seeking to stem the damage.
In an interview Tuesday with CNBC, Trump said: "I did something with Switzerland the other day. I spoke to their prime minister (sic). The woman was nice, but she didn't want to listen."
FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, who is a dual Swiss and Italian citizen, has meanwhile received a warm welcome at the White House.
In March, the president of football's world governing body presented Trump with the Club World Cup trophy -- a massive spherical golden sculpture that remained in the Oval Office for weeks.
But by far the most discussed gift received by Trump came from Qatar -- a Boeing 747 to be refitted for use as Air Force One.
Turning a deaf ear to criticism from the Democratic opposition, Trump said it would be "stupid" for the US government not to accept the aircraft -- valued at about $400 million -- from the oil-rich Gulf state.
© 2025 AFP
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But a White House official told AFP that President Donald Trump 's administration plans to "issue an executive order in the near future clarifying misinformation about the tariffing of gold bars and other specialty products". It was not immediately clear if this meant the products would therefore be exempt from Trump's "reciprocal" levies, imposed to address what Washington deems as unfair trade deficits. One-kilo gold bars are the most traded type of bullion on Comex, the world's biggest futures market, and Switzerland is a major supplier of the bars on the physical market. Expectations had been widespread that gold bars would be classified under a different customs code that excludes them from Trump's countrywide tariffs. Higher "reciprocal" rates took effect Thursday on dozens of economies. Swiss officials travelled to Washington this week to seek a deal similar to the European Union, whose products now face a 15% rate. But they came back empty handed. The customs update increased pressure on the Swiss government as gold trading weighs heavily on its trade balance. John Plassard, head of investment strategy at Cite Gestion, expects some of the gold refining business would likely flow to other industry centres such as Antwerp. Gold bars produced in the Belgian city Antwerp face a 15% US tariff applied to EU goods. Switzerland is home to four of the world's largest gold refineries, the largest being Valcambi in Balerna, in the Italian-speaking part of the country. They import unrefined gold coming from mines, recycled jewellery or lower-purity bars to be recast into high-quality bars, making Switzerland a hub for the global gold trade. These bars are then reintroduced to the market for jewellery, watchmaking, industry and tech products, as well as the banking sector and for use as central bank reserves. According to a Swiss Federal Customs Administration report, the country imported 2,372 tonnes of gold in 2023 and re-exported 1,564 tonnes. The value of these exports approached 88 billion Swiss francs ($109 billion at current rates), with the main buyers being China at 25.1 billion francs and India at 13.1 billion francs. Including other precious metals like silver and palladium, the sector accounts for 1,500 direct jobs in the country and 1,000 indirect jobs, according to the Swiss association of manufacturers and traders of precious metals. In 2023, Switzerland accounted for 34% of the total refined gold worldwide, according to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). Swiss gold exports to the United States soared to 11 billion Swiss francs last year, nearly doubling from 6.1 billion in 2023. They then skyrocketed in the first half of 2025, reaching 39.2 billion francs, compared to nearly 1.7 billion in the first half of 2024, according to data Swiss customs provided to AFP. Nearly all of the gold, 37.6 billion francs' worth, was exported in the first quarter of 2025. Shipments then plummeted sharply to roughly 1.6 billion francs in the second quarter. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter on Thursday strongly disagreed with how Trump assessed the US trade deficit with Switzerland, and thus the high tariff imposed. She said the rise in gold exports in 2024 had led to the increase in the deficit. Swiss newspaper Le Temps noted Tuesday that to calculate customs duties on Switzerland "the White House seems to have relied exclusively on 2024 data, "which was "an atypical year". Swiss gold exports to the United States skyrocketed in November, when Trump won the presidential election, triggering a surge in "safe haven" investments such as gold, it said.
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But a White House official told AFP that President Donald Trump 's administration plans to "issue an executive order in the near future clarifying misinformation about the tariffing of gold bars and other specialty products". It was not immediately clear if this meant the products would therefore be exempt from Trump's "reciprocal" levies, imposed to address what Washington deems as unfair trade deficits. One-kilo gold bars are the most traded type of bullion on Comex, the world's biggest futures market, and Switzerland is a major supplier of the bars on the physical market. Expectations had been widespread that gold bars would be classified under a different customs code that excludes them from Trump's countrywide tariffs. Higher "reciprocal" rates took effect Thursday on dozens of economies. Swiss officials travelled to Washington this week to seek a deal similar to the European Union, whose products now face a 15% rate. But they came back empty handed. The customs update increased pressure on the Swiss government as gold trading weighs heavily on its trade balance. John Plassard, head of investment strategy at Cite Gestion, expects some of the gold refining business would likely flow to other industry centres such as Antwerp. Gold bars produced in the Belgian city Antwerp face a 15% US tariff applied to EU goods. Switzerland is home to four of the world's largest gold refineries, the largest being Valcambi in Balerna, in the Italian-speaking part of the country. They import unrefined gold coming from mines, recycled jewellery or lower-purity bars to be recast into high-quality bars, making Switzerland a hub for the global gold trade. These bars are then reintroduced to the market for jewellery, watchmaking, industry and tech products, as well as the banking sector and for use as central bank reserves. According to a Swiss Federal Customs Administration report, the country imported 2,372 tonnes of gold in 2023 and re-exported 1,564 tonnes. The value of these exports approached 88 billion Swiss francs ($109 billion at current rates), with the main buyers being China at 25.1 billion francs and India at 13.1 billion francs. Including other precious metals like silver and palladium, the sector accounts for 1,500 direct jobs in the country and 1,000 indirect jobs, according to the Swiss association of manufacturers and traders of precious metals. In 2023, Switzerland accounted for 34% of the total refined gold worldwide, according to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). Swiss gold exports to the United States soared to 11 billion Swiss francs last year, nearly doubling from 6.1 billion in 2023. They then skyrocketed in the first half of 2025, reaching 39.2 billion francs, compared to nearly 1.7 billion in the first half of 2024, according to data Swiss customs provided to AFP. Nearly all of the gold, 37.6 billion francs' worth, was exported in the first quarter of 2025. Shipments then plummeted sharply to roughly 1.6 billion francs in the second quarter. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter on Thursday strongly disagreed with how Trump assessed the US trade deficit with Switzerland, and thus the high tariff imposed. She said the rise in gold exports in 2024 had led to the increase in the deficit. Swiss newspaper Le Temps noted Tuesday that to calculate customs duties on Switzerland "the White House seems to have relied exclusively on 2024 data, "which was "an atypical year". Swiss gold exports to the United States skyrocketed in November, when Trump won the presidential election, triggering a surge in "safe haven" investments such as gold, it said.
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But a White House official told AFP that President Donald Trump 's administration plans to "issue an executive order in the near future clarifying misinformation about the tariffing of gold bars and other specialty products". It was not immediately clear if this meant the products would therefore be exempt from Trump's "reciprocal" levies, imposed to address what Washington deems as unfair trade deficits. One-kilo gold bars are the most traded type of bullion on Comex, the world's biggest futures market, and Switzerland is a major supplier of the bars on the physical market. Expectations had been widespread that gold bars would be classified under a different customs code that excludes them from Trump's countrywide tariffs. Higher "reciprocal" rates took effect Thursday on dozens of economies. Swiss officials travelled to Washington this week to seek a deal similar to the European Union, whose products now face a 15% rate. But they came back empty handed. The customs update increased pressure on the Swiss government as gold trading weighs heavily on its trade balance. John Plassard, head of investment strategy at Cite Gestion, expects some of the gold refining business would likely flow to other industry centres such as Antwerp. Gold bars produced in the Belgian city Antwerp face a 15% US tariff applied to EU goods. Switzerland is home to four of the world's largest gold refineries, the largest being Valcambi in Balerna, in the Italian-speaking part of the country. They import unrefined gold coming from mines, recycled jewellery or lower-purity bars to be recast into high-quality bars, making Switzerland a hub for the global gold trade. These bars are then reintroduced to the market for jewellery, watchmaking, industry and tech products, as well as the banking sector and for use as central bank reserves. According to a Swiss Federal Customs Administration report, the country imported 2,372 tonnes of gold in 2023 and re-exported 1,564 tonnes. The value of these exports approached 88 billion Swiss francs ($109 billion at current rates), with the main buyers being China at 25.1 billion francs and India at 13.1 billion francs. Including other precious metals like silver and palladium, the sector accounts for 1,500 direct jobs in the country and 1,000 indirect jobs, according to the Swiss association of manufacturers and traders of precious metals. In 2023, Switzerland accounted for 34% of the total refined gold worldwide, according to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). Swiss gold exports to the United States soared to 11 billion Swiss francs last year, nearly doubling from 6.1 billion in 2023. They then skyrocketed in the first half of 2025, reaching 39.2 billion francs, compared to nearly 1.7 billion in the first half of 2024, according to data Swiss customs provided to AFP. Nearly all of the gold, 37.6 billion francs' worth, was exported in the first quarter of 2025. Shipments then plummeted sharply to roughly 1.6 billion francs in the second quarter. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter on Thursday strongly disagreed with how Trump assessed the US trade deficit with Switzerland, and thus the high tariff imposed. She said the rise in gold exports in 2024 had led to the increase in the deficit. Swiss newspaper Le Temps noted Tuesday that to calculate customs duties on Switzerland "the White House seems to have relied exclusively on 2024 data, "which was "an atypical year". Swiss gold exports to the United States skyrocketed in November, when Trump won the presidential election, triggering a surge in "safe haven" investments such as gold, it said.
