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President Joe Biden hosted his first state dinner at the White House on Thursday night, honoring French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte.
The dinner marked the return of a tradition that had not been seen since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was held in a tent on the South Lawn, which could comfortably seat the more than 400 guests expected to attend. An indoor dinner in the State Dining Room is limited by space restrictions -- only about 120 guests can be accommodated.
The evening's entertainment was provided by singer Jon Batiste, a native of New Orleans, a city that first lady Jill Biden said Wednesday is "shaped by both French and American culture." The Macrons will visit New Orleans before returning to France.
A person with knowledge of Jill Biden's approach to the dinner said she was involved with all aspects of the planning, down to doing tastings of each dish and overseeing the seating chart -- much like her immediate predecessor, Melania Trump, whose first state dinner also happened to be for the Macrons. The Bidens served caviar and butter-poached lobster for a first-course, Calotte of beef and watercress and sunchoke salad for the main, and crème fraiche ice cream for dessert.
