Biden Hosts Macron for First State Visit of His Presidency
French President Emmanuel Macron and President Joe Biden embrace during the French State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday, December 1, 2022 (Andrew McKeough/AKSM Photography).
For President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, the Bidens left no detail unturned for Thursday’s State Visit to celebrate the unity between the United States and France.
Article by Tommy Lynch, Junior White House Correspondent
WASHINGTON - On Thursday, President Biden hosted his first State Visit and State Dinner for French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte.
State Dinners have been an honored tradition for almost 150 years. In 1874, President Ulysses S. Grant hosted Hawaii’s King Kalakaua in the White House at the first State Dinner. Before Thursday, the most recent State Dinner occurred in 2019, when President Trump hosted Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The dinner serves as a sign of unity and companionship between the nations and their leaders. Dr. Jill Biden has worked with her staff to organize this monumental event and prepare the White House for the French leaders. Prevalent throughout every aspect of the dinner are celebrations of France, their culture, and the bond with the United States.
The celebration began in the morning, with the State Arrival Ceremony, where President Biden and President Macron appearing on the South Lawn at the White House to thorough fanfare. Both presidents took part in a review of the troops before taking the podium to speak to the crowd about their continued partnership.
“France is our oldest ally,” Biden said, “and the alliance between our two nations remains essential to our mutual defense.”
President Macron addressed the crowd and pressed the importance of sending aid to Ukraine.
“Our two nations are sisters in their fight for freedom,” President Macron said, “we need to become brothers in arms once more.”
At the lavish State Dinner - held in a glass tent on the South Lawn - the Statue of Liberty, which represents the freedom of America as well as being a gift from France, served as the backdrop for the dinner toasts. At the dinner tables, red, white, and blue flowers represented the unity between the United States and France. For entertainment, pianist and composer Jon Batiste performed. Batiste was born and raised in Louisiana, and the musician's presence serves as another connection between France and the US.
The dinner menu included 200 lobsters from Maine, beef shallot, and award winning Rose River Blue artisanal cheese. American wine will be served and toasted in French wine glasses.
“Tonight we celebrate the enduring alliance between France and the United States,” Biden said in his toast, “a partnership that's marked by so many firsts.”
The relationship between the United States and France has been rocky since late last year, when the US helped Australia obtain nuclear powered submarines, leading them to pull out of a defense deal with France. France saw this as a betrayal by the US, as it undercut a deal that had been in the works for years. President Biden has met with President Macron multiple times in the 14 months since this debacle in order to repair the relationship, and the State Dinner is yet another sign that relations have improved.
“We stand together, shoulder to shoulder,” President Macron said in his toast, “precisely to be entitled to say, at the same time, we the people, and liberté, égalité, fraternité.”