President Trump personally designed a “White House key” to give to special guests, his son-in-law Jared Kushner reveals in his memoir. Prime Minister at the time, Benjamin Netanyahu, received one of the ancient-looking keys in September 2020, during the signing of the Abraham Agreement
In the new book by former President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, he says that the then-President designed the ornate gift to impress and gave it to select supporters, usually privately. Each jumbo key was decorated with the presidential seal and the words “Key to the White House”. It came with a custom wooden box engraved with the seal and bearing an internally inlaid image of the building.
The Prime Minister of Israel at the time, Benjamin Netanyahu, received one of the ancient-looking keys in September 2020 during the signing of the Abraham Agreement, in which Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates became the third and fourth Arab countries to recognize Israel’s independence. But Netanyahu, who proudly showed his key to reporters in the Oval Office, was not the first to receive this honor, and other guests also received these souvenirs, says Kushner.
“When Trump met with Bibi, he took out the ‘Key to the White House’ inside a large carved bronze box with the presidential seal,” says Kushner in the book “Breaking History”, due out on August 23.
“This is the first key I give to someone,” Trump told Netanyahu, “even when I’m no longer president, you can go up to the front gate of the White House and present it, and they’ll let you in.”
As Kushner listened, he recalled, he and fellow White House adviser Avi Berkowitz “tried not to laugh.” He wrote “We’ve heard this before, and Trump delivered it a little too seriously. Yet Bibi beamed with happiness,” Kushner writes.
A few moments later, Netanyahu asked Trump in the Oval Office: “Can we show it?”. “Sure, I’d be happy,” Trump replied and Netanyahu showed the reporters the key he received.
“It was a special token of affection that I gave together with the first lady to the prime minister and the first lady of Israel. And it’s a key. We call it a ‘key to the White House’ and it’s a key to our country and our heart,” Trump said. Netanyahu replied and said “Thank you, Mr. President. And I said, and it is true, that you have the key to the hearts of the people of Israel because of all the great things you have done for the Jewish state and the Jewish people. So thank you.”