Swiss Ministers Pursue US Tariff Reduction: A Presidential Encounter

Fri Nov 14 2025 01:51:19 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Swiss officials visit Washington to negotiate a reduction of steep tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, utilizing gifts and personal connections to strengthen their diplomatic efforts.

In a bid to reduce a severe 39% tariff burden on Swiss exports, Swiss ministers, including President Karin Keller Sutter, are engaging in talks with the Trump administration. With a previous proposal falling flat, the Swiss delegation showcased unconventional diplomacy by presenting gifts, including luxury items from prominent Swiss companies. Trump's remarks suggest a potential shift in negotiations, with hopes that tariffs may decrease in exchange for Swiss commitments to boost production in the US.

Swiss ministers are in Washington for talks aimed at slashing US President Donald Trump's steep 39% tariffs on Switzerland's exports to the US – the highest rate in Europe.

Initial attempts by Swiss President Karin Keller Sutter to change Trump's mind fell on deaf ears. But a visit by business leaders appears to have changed his mind.

Swiss industry chiefs came to the Oval Office on 4 November bearing gifts, including a Rolex gold watch and a specially engraved gold bar from Swiss-based gold refining company MKS.

For months, the Swiss have been trying to bring down the high US tariff rate which has already hit Switzerland hard.

Trump's response to the Swiss president's bid was that she was a nice woman, but she did not want to listen. However, last week's private business initiative adopted a more unconventional approach.

Already this week, Trump has said a deal is being worked on to bring the tariffs a little bit lower… I haven't set any number.

After their talks, the Swiss industrialists said in a statement our entire initiative was undertaken in the spirit of Swiss unity between the private and public sectors.

Some business figures, particularly those trading in luxury goods, gold, or commodities, already had contacts in Trump's circle.

In September, Trump appeared at the US Open tennis final in the Rolex VIP box hosted by the Swiss watch company's chief executive Jean Frédéric Dufour.

The president, apparently guessing what was going on, even asked if Dufour would have been there if Trump had not slapped such steep tariffs on Switzerland.

Last week, Dufour met Trump again, this time in the Oval Office, along with fellow business leaders including Johann Rupert from luxury goods maker Richemont and Marwan Shakarchi from MKS.

It is quite normal nowadays for any leader heading to the Oval Office to come bearing a gift.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer brought an invitation from King Charles for a lavish state visit, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz offered a framed copy of Trump's German grandfather's birth certificate.

Requests for confirmation of the gifts to the two Swiss companies involved brought a no comment from Rolex and MKS.

But days after the meeting, Trump was pictured in the Oval Office with what looked very much like a Rolex Datejust desk clock, produced by the company as a collector's item, and worth tens of thousands of dollars.

A White House official confirmed the two items had been given to Trump.

The US president receives thousands of gifts every year, which become US property and are filed annually by the state department.

In 1969, President Richard Nixon gently refused the gift of a Swiss Omega watch to commemorate the Moon landings.

Whatever happens to the Swiss gifts, Trump's stance towards the Swiss appears to be softening, telling reporters he is working on something to help Switzerland.

Swiss economy minister Guy Parmelin and chief trade negotiator Helene Budliger Artieda, who travelled to Washington, are more hopeful than they have been in months, amid suggestions that the 39% tariff may be reduced to 15% - the same as Switzerland's neighbors in the EU.

In return, promises from the Swiss pharmaceutical giants to build more production plants in the US are already on the table. It is also reported that Swiss International Airlines, which primarily operates Airbus jets, may pivot towards Boeing.

But will it be enough? Swiss industry is waiting with bated breath, as the tariffs are beginning to bite, with several Swiss companies warning they will have to furlough staff if nothing changes.

Fifa president and Swiss citizen Gianni Infantino, long a friend of Trump's, was reportedly urged by some Swiss parliamentarians to try to change the president's mind.

As part of preparations for next year's World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico, Infantino visited the Oval Office in August bearing the trophy.

As the cameras rolled, he handed it to Trump saying he was a winner. The president responded asking can I keep it? That's a beautiful piece of gold.

Infantino has also announced a brand new Fifa world peace prize, to be announced in Washington DC on 5 December.

All bets are off as to who that might be.