The New England Patriots made their celebratory visit to the White House back in April, making them the first team to visit Donald Trump at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue during his presidency.
While some of the Patriots players, including Tom Brady, Devin McCourty and Chris Long, skipped the White House visit, team owner Robert Kraft was in attendance and he came bearing gifts. Along with the traditional personalized jersey and helmet, Kraft also gave Trump a Super Bowl LI ring, according to Patriots spokesman Stacey James.
According to a report by USA Today,
"James said that of the five times the Patriots have visited the White House, this one included the best treatment — in Kraft's eyes — by allowing the most time with the President and including the most impressive White House tour."
"James said that Trump received a customized ring that mirrored what Patriots players and staff received following their Super Bowl victory. Those rings were crafted in 10-karat white gold and featured 280 diamonds with the words “World Champions” on the front. The inside of the ring includes, “We are all Patriots” and “greatest comeback ever,” a nod to the 31 unanswered points scored against the Falcons in the most dramatic comeback win in Super Bowl history."
Kraft and Trump have had a strong relationship for years, dating back to 2011, so it's not necessarily a surprise that the President was gifted a ring similar to the one Patriots players and staff received.
During an interview with Gary Myers of the New York Daily News, Kraft said his loyalty to Trump dates back to 2011 when his wife died and Trump called him every week for an entire year to see how he was holding up.
As it turns out though, President Trump might have to put his Super Bowl LI ring in the National Archives.
According to USA Today, because of the amount of gifts that U.S. presidents receive gifts from foreign leaders, there is a value limit to gifts accepted by presidents. And that value, as of January 2014, is set at $375. Pats spokesman Stacey James said the thought was always for the Super Bowl ring to be a part of Trump’s Presidential Library once his presidency is over.
