The first White House state dinner of President Joe Biden's administration drew big names Thursday from fashion, entertainment, politics and business who turned out to help celebrate French President Emmanuel Macron and the return of high-wattage D.C. social events after the pandemic.
There were kisses all around as the Bidens stepped out on the North Portico to welcome the Macrons to the White House for the evening's festivities — Jill Biden in an off-the-shoulder navy gown, Brigitte Macron in a high-necked ivory one.
Jill Biden's open invitation as the foursome headed inside: “Enjoy the evening.”
Other guests trickled in via a side entrance, and seemed keen to do just that. First to arrive: Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, followed not long after by Gov. John Carney, representing Biden's home state of Delaware.
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Julia Louis-Dreyfus whizzed by the press, pausing only to say that, yes, she'd been to a state dinner before and it was all “very exciting.” Late-night TV host Stephen Colbert made his entrance, too, as guests passed through the White House before heading outside to a heated party tent on the South Lawn.
Shoe designer Christian Louboutin — wearing a crystal bolo tie — was asked how many people might be wearing his shoes for the night, and wouldn't hazard a guess, saying, “I have no idea." Vogue editor Anna Wintour also was among the more than 300 guests expected.
Family made the cut too: Biden's adult children, Hunter and Ashley, and his sister, Valerie Biden, were on the guest list.
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Others attending: “Good Morning America” anchor Robin Roberts, actors Jennifer Garner and Ariana DeBose and singer John Legend and his wife, Chrissy Teigen. Garner was among those wearing velvet, a popular choice on a night when temperatures were in the 30s.
Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was there, as was House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, who hopes to succeed Pelosi.
The first Republican to arrive was Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who laughed when told she was the first member of the GOP to turn up, promising, “I’m sure there will be others.”
McCarthy, when he came through, was asked how he felt about attending a dinner with Hunter Biden, whom Republicans are keen to investigate when they take control of the House in January. “I'm at dinner with my mom and I'm going to have a great time,” he said.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms stopped to talk a little shop ahead of Tuesday's runoff Senate election in Georgia, where Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is seeking reelection, declaring, “I think it’s going to be a great night for Georgia on Tuesday ... just gotta make sure people continue to turn out.”
With the tent ready and the tables set for the big dinner, hostess Jill Biden earlier in the day took her French counterpart and fellow teacher to a language museum to highlight their mutual interest in learning and their growing friendship.
“We are friends,” Brigitte Macron said as she and Biden clasped hands at Planet Word, a museum dedicated to words and language.
“We are friends,” Biden repeated before they repeated that they are friends.
The declaration of friendship fit in with the occasion. A state dinner is a high diplomatic honor, one the United States bestows only on its closest allies, like France, one of America’s oldest.
The wives had their museum outing while their husbands held talks at the White House. Brigitte Macron is a former French literature and theater teacher; Jill Biden continues to teach English and writing at a Virginia community college.
The invited guests began trickling in to the White House as the sun faded, dressed to impress and looking forward to saying they played a small part in history -- the first state dinner hosted by the Bidens.
Butter-poached Maine lobster, beef with shallot marmalade and American cheeses are on the menu for the red-white-and-blue themed dinner. Dessert is orange chiffon cake with roasted pears and crème fraiche ice cream. American sparkling wine will be served for the toasts.
Guests will dine on rented tableware because place settings from the White House china collection are not allowed to be removed from the executive mansion.
“The design of this dinner was inspired by the shared colors of our flags, red white and blue, and our common values, liberty and democracy, equality and fellowship,” Jill Biden said Wednesday. “These form the bedrock upon which our enduring friendship was built.”
The glitzy party celebrating U.S.-French relations is being held in a heated pavilion on the South Lawn. Guests were taking trolleys down from the White House to be seated at a mix of square and rectangular tables with dark blue silk cloths, red candles and arrangements of red, white and blue flowers, including white irises, the official flower of France.
After-dinner entertainment was being provided by Jon Batiste, a Grammy Award-winning New Orleans native and most recently the bandleader and musical director of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Batiste tweeted Thursday about his role.
The White House has not held a state dinner since September 2019, largely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which put a damper on gatherings with large numbers of people.
But entertaining is back at the White House.
Thursday's dinner follows the wedding last month of Biden’s granddaughter on the South Lawn with 250 guests. And during December, tens of thousands of people will stream through the White House, including tourists and others invited to nearly a month’s worth of holiday receptions.
White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford said 200 live Maine lobsters were delivered on Tuesday. Some conservation groups are calling out the White House for serving lobster from Maine, citing concerns about the threat to rare North Atlantic right whales from the fishing gear used to trap lobsters. Entanglement in gear is one of the biggest threats to the whales.
The White House had no immediate comment on the environmental concerns.
