Does the state department have a list of foreign gifts given to each president

1. What official lists exist — and who keeps them?

The Department of State’s Office of the Chief of Protocol historically operates a Gift or Gift/Protocol Office that “receives all diplomatic gifts on behalf of White House and Department of State officials and maintains records pertaining to diplomatic gifts,” including those presented to the President, Vice President and their spouses ^[1]. The Federal Register also publishes agency reports summarizing gifts to federal employees reported to the Chief of Protocol, indicating an administrative pipeline for recording these items ^[5]. For long‑term custody, the National Archives (and Presidential Libraries) receive many of these items and run exhibits such as “Tokens and Treasures,” which catalog gifts to presidents over time ^{[4] [6]}.

2. How the law shapes what’s recorded and who owns the gifts

The Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act and related practice mean gifts above a statutory minimal value are generally treated as property of the United States rather than of the individual officeholder; the White House Gift Unit and/or National Archives handle disposition when the President or first family do not retain an item ^{[2] [7]}. Reporting rules for federal employees — and the Chief of Protocol’s public listings — also exist ^[5]. Press coverage and explainers reiterate that ethics rules require many diplomatic gifts to be catalogued and transferred rather than privately kept ^[3].

3. What “lists” the public can consult today

The public can consult multiple sources: archival exhibits and museum pages that show historic gifts (e.g., National Archives and presidential library pages with curated lists) and Federal Register publications that compile statements reported to the Office of the Chief of Protocol for a given calendar year ^{[4] [5]}. News organizations and trackers have also assembled contemporaneous lists of gifts to recent presidents — for example, CNN and Axios have compiled trackers of items received by President Trump in 2025 and explained how those gifts are handled ^{[3] [8]}.

4. Thresholds, exceptions and practical complications

Law and practice draw a line at a “minimal value” — widely reported in 2025 coverage as about $480 — below which officials may retain items; gifts above that threshold are typically accepted on behalf of the United States unless Congress expressly consents otherwise, or the recipient purchases the item at fair market value ^{[9] [10] [2]}. However, sources note complications: certain transfers (for example of extremely valuable items or military equipment) may involve other agencies (e.g., Department of Defense) or unique legal interpretations, and press pieces have documented disputes and ethics questions around specific high‑value offers ^{[10] [11]}.

5. Disagreements and gaps in public reporting

Reporting and legal commentary sometimes disagree about how strictly administrative rules bind the President personally; legal analyses and institutional statements point to the constitutional Emoluments Clause and the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act, but other commentators emphasize that not all administrative regulations apply identically to the President as to ordinary federal employees ^{[7] [12]}. The Federal Register reports cover gifts “to federal employees” as required by statute, but available sources do not provide a single, continuously updated public roster that lists every gift to each president in one place — instead the information is spread across State Department records, Federal Register compilations, the GSA/NARA disposition system, and journalistic trackers ^{[5] [4] [3]}.

6. How journalists and scholars reconstruct complete lists

When researchers or reporters assemble comprehensive lists, they combine State Department protocol records, Federal Register statements, National Archives inventories and press reporting; recent trackers of presidential gifts (e.g., CNN, Axios) show that media outlets actively compile entries from those public records and from photographs/releases of bilateral visits ^{[3] [8]}. Those reconstructions can surface missing or disputed items — as prior oversight reports and press investigations have done — but they rely on the decentralized records maintained by different agencies ^{[4] [2]}.

7. Bottom line for someone seeking a presidency-by-presidency list

You can find authoritative records in multiple official places: the State Department’s Chief of Protocol/Gift Unit maintains intake records, the Federal Register publishes agency reports about gifts reported to the Chief of Protocol, and the National Archives/Presidential Libraries hold many items and curated lists; journalists then synthesize those sources into trackers ^{[1] [5] [4] [3]}. If you want a single consolidated, continuously updated list for each president, available sources do not mention one unified public database that aggregates every recorded foreign gift to every president in one searchable place ^{[5] [4]}.