Obama has hosted fewer state dinners than any president since Truman

(Image credit: Kristoffer Tripplaar-Pool/Getty Images)

published 8 April 2015

President Obama and Harry Truman have something in common other than political party and an antagonistic Republican Congress: They each hosted six state dinners for foreign heads of state or government. Obama will pull ahead of Truman this year, with lavish black-tie dinners for the leaders of Japan and China, The Associated Press notes, but he will still be far behind his recent peers

Lyndon Johnson hosted the most state dinners of the last 11 presidents, 54, even though he didn't serve two full terms. Ronald Reagan is close behind, with 52, and Jimmy Carter packed 28 state dinners in his four years in office. The White House cites cost as the main factor Obama has shied away from state dinners — each costs about $500,000, paid for by the State Department (in other words, taxpayers) — and says Obama has carried out high-level diplomacy in other ways, including taking foreign leaders to dinner at fancy restaurants and Thomas Jefferson's mansion, Monticello.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.