Trump says he's sending back Chanukah lamps to Israel

The antiques were reportedly not displayed at the Chanukah celebration event but ended up at Trump's Florida residence and membership club - Mar a Lago.

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Saul Fox (R) and Hannah Strobel arrive for the State Dinner at The White House honoring Australian PM Morrison on September 20, 2019 in Washington, DC (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

According to the Wall St Journal, Saul Fox kept the items in his California home, saying he “and sort of forgot about it,”

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The Chanukah lamps loaned by the IAA to Saul Fox (Saul Fox)

They didn't surface again until they were brought to Florida two years later for a dinner with Trump, and Fox presented the lamps in their ceremonial box to Trump, saying: “This permanent exhibition of Israel’s national treasures outside of the State of Israel in your honor is without precedent,” 

According to the report, Fox asked the Israeli government agency responsible for the lamps if he could give them to Trump permanently and received an email from the IAA while waiting to meet the president telling him to return the items to Israel immediately.

He ignored the email and decided to proceed in giving Trump the box containing the antiques, which are believed to have been stored in Mar a Lago until earlier this week.