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Donald Trump, spontaneously according to media reports, took several works of art from the residence of the US ambassador to Washington at the end of his trip to Paris in November 2018. The US media report, citing his spokesman Judd Deere.
“The president brought these beautiful historical pieces, which belong to the American people, back to the United States to be prominently displayed in the White House,” the Bloomberg news agency quoted Trump’s spokesman Deere as saying.
But the artworks are apparently not really historical: Even if they are said to be worth around $ 750,000 according to a Bloomberg insider, they are apparently replicas. According to the report, this should have been the result of an examination by White House curators when the works were already in Washington. The news agency cites two unspecified people in its report.
According to Bloomberg, it is a bust and portrait of Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States. The original of Franklin’s portrait was then in the National Portrait Gallery about a mile from the White House. The bust is also a replica.
It is also said that Trump took several silver figures from Greek mythology with him. These were made by a Neapolitan artist in the early 20th century, according to an art collector in the Bloomberg report. He designed the figures in such a way that at first glance they looked like they were from the 16th or 17th century, the expert said.
Trump reportedly took the art with him on Air Force One
Trump lived in the Ambassador’s Residence, a historic building from 1842, during his visit, the report says. After, as the White House says, the president’s helicopter was unable to take off due to the rain and a visit to a military cemetery was canceled, Trump is said to have stayed at the residence for several hours and admired the art.
The next day, Trump pointed out the bust, portrait and figures and ordered that they be flown to the United States on Air Force One. Ambassador Jamie McCourt was surprised but did not object, according to the report.
Lawyers for the U.S. State Department quickly checked whether the president was allowed to take the artwork. The removal is said to have been deemed legal because the artwork is owned by the United States government.
It is the second time in a few days that Trump’s trip to France has been a topic of conversation. The other case, however, has a much more serious background. The American magazine “The Atlantic” reported a few days ago that Trump had described fallen American soldiers as “losers” and “idiots” during his visit to World War I.
Soldier accusations are becoming a problem for Trump
Therefore, the American president had rejected a planned visit to the Aisne-Marne American military cemetery near Paris with the words: “Why should I visit this cemetery? It is full of losers.” This contradicts what the White House said.
Trump denied the allegations in a series of angry tweets. On Friday, the Republican, who wants to be reelected for a second term in November, said it was a “false story.” For him, fallen soldiers are “absolute heroes”. He demanded the dismissal of a correspondent for the television channel Fox News, who had partially confirmed the allegations in the “Atlantic” report. For Trump, the accusations could well become a problem shortly before the election. Given his backwardness in the polls, he can’t afford to alienate other potential voters.
