Donald Trump’s inner circle has been spotted wearing a custom “White House Rolex” that almost nobody in the West Wing can actually afford.
The exclusive timepieces, modified by a London-based bespoke jeweler from standard Rolex models, feature blue faces bearing the gold presidential seal and stars marking the 45- and 47-second positions — a nod to Trump’s two presidential terms. An engraving of the White House adorns the back of each watch. The customization starts with either a gold Day-Date Presidential or a GMT Pepsi, the former retailing around $50,000 before any modifications are applied.
Despite the watches’ presidential branding, Trump himself did not gift them. Recipients purchased their own, a reality that prompted one insider to joke to Vanity Fair: “There’s no one f–king rich enough in the West Wing to actually buy the watch.”
The reported owners include chief of staff Susie Wiles, billionaire special envoy Steve Witkoff, and White House counsel Will Scharf. Vice President JD Vance’s inner circle has also acquired the timepieces, with chief of staff Nick Luna and national security adviser Cliff Sims among the believed recipients. Former Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita and presidential pollster Tony Fabrizio round out the known list of owners.
While the Rolexes were self-funded, Trump has directed his generosity toward other items for his closest aides. The president reportedly bought Florsheim shoes for Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Official financial disclosures also revealed $155,000 in holiday cash gifts distributed among four top staffers. Executive assistant Natalie Harp, communications adviser Margo Martin, and deputy director of Oval Office operations Chamberlain Harris each received $45,000, while director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta got $20,000.
Trump’s red cufflinks bearing the presidential seal have traveled much further than the watches, handed out well beyond his immediate circle. The cufflinks and the custom Rolexes share a common thread: both prominently feature presidential imagery that recipients display as markers of proximity to power.
The London jeweler responsible for the modifications has created a two-tier product line around the Trump presidency, offering both the Day-Date Presidential and GMT Pepsi as base models. The watches’ design elements — the seal, the White House engraving, the term-specific second markers — transform standard luxury items into explicit political artifacts.
The “White House Rolex” phenomenon follows a broader pattern of Trump-era political merchandising, where access and affiliation become visible through branded consumer goods. Unlike campaign merchandise sold to supporters, however, these watches circulate only among those with sufficient personal wealth and established connections to the administration.
The insider’s blunt assessment to Vanity Fair underscores the economic distance between most White House staffers and the small group of aides and allies who have actually acquired the timepieces. Even in an administration with multiple billionaires in senior roles, the modified Rolexes represent a spending threshold that has limited their distribution to a handful of individuals.