Donald Trump receives eerie gift from South Korean president and people think he’s being ‘trolled’

United States President Donald Trump was gifted something eerie during his recent visit to South Korea, just a matter of weeks after he declared he was 'not a king' ahead of the 'No Kings' protests he denounced.

On Wednesday (29 October), South Korean President Lee Jae Myung awarded the 79-year-old Republican with a gold crown, which is reportedly 'the largest and most extravagant of the six existing gold crowns' from the Silla period, according to a South Korean official.

The official explained that the crown represents the 'divine connection between the authority of the heavens and the sovereignty on Earth, as well as the strong leadership and authority of a leader'.

Upon being bestowed the gift, Trump thanked Lee and called the crown 'very special'.

"I'd like to wear it right now," Trump added, when presented with the 'Grand Order of Mugunghwa' - the country's highest decoration - with a South Korean official saying that he was the first US president to receive the honour.

After catching light of the gift exchange, critics rushed to social media to share their speculations that the crown was the nation's way of 'trolling', 'mocking' and 'taunting' Trump, especially due to the fact that he was presented with it just two weeks after 'No Kings' demonstrations swept across the States, with nearly seven million people protesting what organisers called ​​Trump’s 'authoritarian power grabs'.

Trump mocked the nationwide demonstrations by posting AI-generated videos on his Truth Social, including one featuring himself wearing a crown, flying a 'King Trump' fighter jet, and bombing a crowd of protesters with 'faeces'.

Also, back in February, Trump was similarly called out for referring to himself as a 'king'.

South Korea’s president gifts Trump a golden crown just days after ‘No Kings’ protests pic.twitter.com/vX8kqTqeKZ

— Molly Ploofkins (@Mollyploofkins) October 29, 2025

One X user declared: "I have a feeling South Korea is trolling Trump."

"Brilliant. That gift appeals to Trump's vanity but subtly trolls him & his pretensions all at the same time," slammed a second.

A third chimed in: "He’s too stupid to realise he’s being mocked."

And a final X user theorised: "Lets hope that is their subtle way of taunting him. They had No Kings protests in South Korea too."

Now, such speculation is simply that - speculative.

Trump landed in South Korea on the final leg of a trip through Asia that also saw stops in Malaysia and Japan - the former of which saw the US president breaking out in a dance which really baffled people online.