Politicians cry foul over Swiss gold showered on US president

A gold Rolex desk clock and a $130,000 engraved gold bar given to Donald Trump by a group of Swiss billionaires have raised questions about the personalisation of presidential power in the US.

- Lisa O’Carroll

Pasquale Tridico, an Italian MEP and the former head of the country’s National Institute for Social Security, said he was “disgusted” by the golden charm offensive, made weeks before Trump decided to slash 39% tariffs on Swiss imports to 15%.

“This is really awful,” he said, claiming that it seemed to be a case of “making foreign policy the policy of individuals”.

Lisa Mazzone, the president of the Green party in Switzerland, said the gifts appeared to show that Trump’s “corrupt logic had poisoned the Swiss elite”. She added: “It is unacceptable that the federal council is relying on the help of an economic elite that represents private interests and lacks democratic legitimacy in its negotiations with the US president.”