Donald Trump said he has found a golf club presented to him by the late former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.
The $3,755 golf club was gifted to Mr Trump by Abe in 2016 when he visited Mr Trump, who was the president-elect at the time.
Abe, Japan’s longest-serving leader, was assassinated last July by a gunman who opened fire as he delivered a campaign speech.
“I am pleased to report that after a search, we were able to find the gold (paint!) Driver given to me by my friend & former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe,” Mr Trump wrote in a statement on Truth Social.
“It was in a locker, with other clubs, at Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach County, Florida. It has never been used. Based on the fact that this club was given to me before entering office, I am told that there are no reporting requirements, but I am nevertheless forwarding it to NARA. My company buys thousands of clubs a year!”
According to GolfDigest.com, the club gifted by Abe is gold and a “Honma Beres S-05 with 9.5 degrees of loft with a 5S Armrq Infinity stiff shaft”.
The former president’s comments come as he faces heat from a Congressional panel for failing to return gifts received from foreign leaders while he was president.
Last month, the House Oversight Committee found Mr Trump and his family had failed to report nearly $300,000 worth of gifts from foreign leaders, some of which still have not been located.
The Committee found that the former president didn’t notify the State Department of extravagant gifts from countries like Saudi Arabia, China and El Salvador, a violation of federal law.
Many of the more than 100 gifts at issue are in the care of the National Archives, but some remain missing, like a life-sized painting of Mr Trump from the president of El Salvador and a set of golf clubs from Abe, according to the committee.
All foreign gifts and their value are normally recorded by the White House Gifts Unit.
The Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act prevents officials from personally keeping gifts worth more than $415.
Presidents can keep gifts by paying for them at full value. Otherwise, the objects go to the National Archives for later use in presidential libraries, or to the Department of Interior.
