“Rolex and a gold bar”: US media claims Switzerland used luxury gifts to persuade Trump to lower tariffs

A report by Axios has sparked major debate after revealing that Swiss business leaders allegedly offered luxury gifts — including a Rolex desk clock and a one-kilogram gold bar — to former US President Donald Trump in an effort to secure a reduction of tariffs on Swiss imports.

According to Axios, the Swiss government sent a delegation of six top executives to Washington, many of them leading global corporations headquartered in Geneva. The meeting reportedly took place on 4 November inside the Oval Office.

One of the standout gifts was a gold bar engraved with the numbers “45” and “47” — a nod to Trump’s role as the 45th president and his ambition to become the 47th. Delegates also presented a Rolex clock and delivered what the article describes as “a great deal of flattery.”

“Countries and companies understand very well that Trump loves this kind of treatment,” Axios writes, suggesting such luxury offerings have become a known method for gaining influence.

Participants reportedly included Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour and Johann Rupert, founder of the luxury giant Richemont, which owns Cartier, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin. Alfred Gantner of Partners Group is said to have been the only Zurich-born member of the delegation.

The Swiss newspaper Tribune de Genève previously reported that the main objective of the meeting was to negotiate the removal of US tariffs on Swiss goods. Shortly afterward, the Trump administration did roll back some of the trade restrictions.

If the claims are accurate, they could raise ethical and legal questions about whether lavish gifts influenced official US policy. Analysts note that any foreign gifts capable of affecting presidential decision-making would violate long-standing standards of transparency and government ethics.

So far, neither Trump nor the Swiss companies mentioned have offered a formal public response. The revelations, însă, intensify scrutiny of how international lobbying may have shaped trade decisions during Trump’s presidency.