President Trump Poached $750,000 of Art From Ambassador’s Home in Paris

During Donald Trump’s infamous 2018 visit to Paris, in which his planned trip to a French cemetery for fallen soldiers was canceled, he did a little shopping—at the home of the U.S. ambassador to France. While strolling around the lavish ambassador’s residence in Paris, he reportedly took a fancy to a number of pieces of artwork, including a bust of Benjamin Franklin and some Greek mythical figurines. So he ordered them removed from the residence and packed into Air Force One and brought to the White House, according to Bloomberg. White House spokesman Judd Deere confirmed the poaching, telling Bloomberg, “The president brought these beautiful, historical pieces, which belong to the American people, back to the United States to be prominently displayed in the People’s House.” The ambassador, Jamie McCourt, was surprised but didn’t interfere after Trump reportedly told him they would get their art back “in about six years.”