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At the State Dinner Table: Lobster, Wine and a Reset Button Biden and Macron Toast Their Alliance With Lobster and American-Made Cheese
(about 1 hour later)
WASHINGTON — More than a year after a trans-Atlantic contretemps threatened to sour U.S.-French relations, President Emmanuel Macron and his wife visited the White House on Thursday as honored guests for the first state dinner since President Biden took office. WASHINGTON — More than a year after feuding over submarines, President Biden and President Emmanuel Macron of France honored their alliance with lobsters and cheese.
In the days leading up to the black-tie dinner, the office of the first lady, which handles most of the planning, made every effort to show that relations were strong as the White House marks a return of the diplomatic pomp that was largely on hold during the pandemic. The first official state dinner of Mr. Biden’s presidency marked the latest step in the return of post-pandemic normalcy, as celebrities joined politicians, business leaders and big donors to honor America’s oldest ally at the White House.
“This dinner was inspired by the shared colors of our flags,” the first lady, Jill Biden, said as she unveiled the menu and floral decorations for the dinner. “And our common values: liberty and democracy, equality and fellowship. These form the bedrock upon which our enduring friendship was built.” “Vive la France and God bless America,” Mr. Biden said in his toast, as some 300 guests clinked glasses.
The tributes ranged from the design of the menu to the French-made wine glasses. The leaders were set to toast with American-made wine, with an image of the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, as the backdrop. Mr. Macron also raised his glass, saying, “We come from the same values, principles.”
The White House decided to place red roses and blue delphiniums alongside white irises, the official flower of France, on each table during the dinner to symbolize the shared colors of the nations. “Long live the United States of America, long live France and long live the friendship between our two countries,” the French president said.
The Macrons were set to be treated to an American cheese course, including Oregon-based Rogue River Blue, the winner of the 2019-20 World Cheese Awards. The dinner was to include more than 300 guests, an administration official said. The evening began as the Bidens and the Macrons followed members of the military down the Grand Staircase of the White House before posing for a photograph and heading to dinner under a tented pavilion on the South Lawn. Jill Biden, the first lady, wore a navy, off-the-shoulder gown by Oscar de la Renta, while Brigitte Macron wore an ivory Louis Vuitton gown with a high neck.
Jon Batiste, the Grammy-winning musician and composer, was set to perform with the U.S. Marine Band. Dr. Biden noted on Wednesday that Mr. Batiste grew up in New Orleans, “which has been shaped by both French and American culture.” The guests walked through a White House hallway usually used for selling books, passing by photographers and reporters who shouted questions.
“Our hope is that the end result will be a night that balances the beauty of our friendship with the seriousness of our purpose,” Dr. Biden said. “And we hope that French citizens everywhere feel the warmth of our welcome.” Jon Batiste, the Grammy-winning musician and composer, said his performance for Mr. Biden and Mr. Macron was “going to be fire.” Mr. Batiste’s wife, Suleika Jaouad, an author who has been fighting cancer, said, “This is my first time out in a year.”
Both countries have made efforts to reassure the world of the strength of their alliance in the 14 months since Mr. Biden reached a deal to help Australia deploy nuclear-powered submarines, dooming an earlier French contract to provide conventional submarines and prompting Mr. Macron to recall his ambassador. Ariana DeBose, the Academy-Award winning actress, said she “couldn’t be more excited” to arrive at the White House with Henry R. Muñoz III, the activist and owner of the comedy studio Funny or Die. The actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus agreed it was “very exciting” to be back at the White House, although she did not reply when asked if it felt similar to her political satire, “Veep.”
Mr. Biden later said the administration was “clumsy” in how it handled the deal and has since met with Mr. Macron on multiple occasions. On the eve of the official state dinner, the two presidents and their wives dined together at Fiola Mare, a waterfront Italian restaurant in Washington. Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple, who had a seat at the head table with the Bidens, the Macrons, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others, let it slip that his conversation with Elon Musk this week had been “very good.” Anna Wintour, the editor in chief of Vogue, complimented a reporter’s fashion.
But challenges were looming. Domestic politics were kept low-key. Representative Steve Scalise, Republican of Louisiana, laughed as Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, held up the makeshift red carpet to show reporters his French-speaking skills.
The state dinner was to provide an opportunity for a diplomatic engagement with an ally pivotal to the administration’s foreign policy strategy amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, global inflation and a potential energy crisis in Europe. Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the likely speaker when Republicans take control of the House in January, allowed that there were areas of compromise to be found with Mr. Biden. But he dodged when asked what it would be like dining with Mr. Biden’s son, Hunter, whom Republicans want to investigate when they take the majority.
Mr. Biden and Mr. Macron were likely to discuss the importance of a unified front against Russia, as well as concerns over Iran’s nuclear program, according to a senior Biden administration official. “Well, I’m at dinner with my mom, so we’re going to have a great time,” Mr. McCarthy answered.
France has also warned the United States that Mr. Biden’s recently passed climate and energy law, which includes tax credits to entice consumers to buy American-made electric vehicles, would threaten a European economy struggling with inflation. While visiting the Library of Congress on Wednesday, Mr. Macron told lawmakers the Inflation Reduction Act was “super aggressive” against European companies, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a private event. And then there was the food. The Macrons were treated to caviar; an American cheese course, including Oregon-based Rogue River Blue, the winner of the 2019-20 World Cheese Awards; and butter-poached Maine lobster.
Mr. Macron, who also attended a state dinner during the Trump administration, was also likely to emphasize the need to bolster Europe’s defense systems so it does not need to depend on the United States in times of conflict. The crustaceans proved somewhat contentious. On Monday, Whole Foods said it planned to stop buying lobster from the state, citing concerns from environmental groups that say endangered North Atlantic right whales have become entangled in fishing gear.
On Wednesday, Mr. Macron joined Vice President Kamala Harris at NASA headquarters to discuss the space strategy between the two allies. Cristeta Comerford, who as White House executive chef designed the menu, made a point of praising Maine lobster workers.
“We are at a conjuncture in trans-Atlantic relations in world history where you’ve had a lot of things that have happened in the last four years from when Macron met Trump to when Macron met Biden,” said Célia Belin, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution focusing on United States policy toward Europe and French politics. “The Americans know when faced with Russia, the thing that made the West so powerful was unity and solidarity.” The office of the first lady, which was largely responsible for planning the dinner, said the theme for the event was red, white and blue — “inspired by the shared colors of our flags.”
She said the state dinner could also amount to the one of the final stages of reconciliation since the low point of the alliance, after the announcement of the submarine deal. The White House placed red roses and blue delphiniums alongside white irises, the official flower of France, on each table during the dinner to symbolize the shared colors of the nations. While squashes for the meal were picked from the White House garden, the plates were rented. (The official White House china is not permitted to leave the building to prevent it from getting damaged.)
Mr. Macron and his wife, Brigitte, were greeted with an official arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House before the two world leaders held a bilateral meeting. Mr. Biden and Mr. Macron then hosted a joint news briefing. While Mr. Biden and Mr. Macron kept up a serious demeanor throughout most of Thursday’s official visit as they discussed the war in Ukraine and economic disputes, both world leaders appeared to enjoy one of the more glamorous traditions of the White House.
The leaders then returned to the South Lawn for dinner under a tent set up to shield guests from the winter weather. While squashes for the meal were picked from the White House garden, the plates were rented. (The official White House china is not permitted to leave the building to prevent it from getting damaged.) Before arriving, Mr. Biden gave Mr. Macron a custom vinyl record collection of great American musicians and an archival facsimile print of Thomas Edison’s 1877 patent of the American phonograph. Mr. Macron gave Mr. Biden and a vinyl and original soundtrack to “Un Homme et une Femme,” a film the Bidens saw on their first date.
The menu, designed by Cristeta Comerford, the White House executive chef, and Susie Morrison, the executive pastry chef, included butter-poached Maine lobster, followed by beef with shallot marmalade and triple-cooked butter potatoes. Relations between Mr. Biden and Mr. Macron have not always been quite so rosy.
Little more than a year ago, a trans-Atlantic contretemps threatened to sour U.S.-French relations when Mr. Biden reached a deal to help Australia deploy nuclear-powered submarines, dooming an earlier French contract to provide conventional submarines.
Mr. Biden later said the administration was “clumsy” in how it handled the deal and has since met with Mr. Macron on multiple occasions.
None of those tensions were on display on Thursday.
In Mr. Biden’s toast, he said his beloved home state gave rise to the countries’ earliest ties.
He noted that he grew up in a part of Delaware near Brandywine Battlefield, “where a young man named Marquis de Lafayette fought for the American cause and became close friends with a fellow named George Washington.”
Some Biden administration advisers seemed focused on brushing up on their French history before arriving at the state dinner. Gene Sperling, a senior adviser for Mr. Biden, told reporters that he made sure to work on U.S. history homework with his daughter before the dinner and was “reminded of who financed our revolution.”
“That counts for something,” he said.