Inside Biden's swanky state dinner with Emmanuel Macron

President Biden on Thursday dined alongside guests of honor French President Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigitte Macron at his first state dinner since taking office, a glamorous affair featuring celebrity guests, prestige fashion, and "200 lobsters from Maine," Politico reports.
The red, white, and blue-themed event was somewhat of a return to form for the White House, which temporarily ixnayed such diplomatic grandeur in the light of the pandemic. It was held under a tent on the South Lawn, to which guests were driven in a heated trolley, and also feautured rented plateware since White House china can't leave the building. The Washington Post described the vibe as Beauty and the Beast meets Game of Thrones.
Regarding the menu, A-list attendees like actress Jennifer Garner and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour sipped Napa Valley wine while dining on beef with shallot marmalade and orange chiffon cake, among other prestige plates. Grammy-winning musician John Batiste, meanwhile, prepared for a live performance in front of the roughly 300-person crowd.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
For their part, U.S. politicians appeared to play nice. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) briefly chummed it up with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), while House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy aptly declined to comment on a pending, GOP-led investigation of Hunter Biden considering the probe's intended target was in the room. "Well, I'm at dinner with my mom, so we're going to have a great time," McCarthy said.
When it came time for a toast, Biden raised his glass (apparently filled with ginger ale) and said, "Vive la France and God Bless America." Macron replied: "Long live the United States of America, long live France and long live the friendship between our two countries."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
What to know about Real IDs, America's new identification cards
The Explainer People without a Real ID cannot board a commercial flight as of May 7, 2025
-
Where is the left-wing Reform?
Today's Big Question As the Labour Party leans towards the right, progressive voters have been left with few alternatives
-
Scattered Spider: who are the hackers linked to M&S and Co-op cyberattacks?
The Explainer 'Decentralised and adaptive', its mainly English-speaking members operate like an 'organised criminal network'
-
Trump is not sure he must follow the Constitution
speed read When asked about due process for migrants in a TV interview, President Trump said he didn't know whether he had to uphold the Fifth Amendment
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
Trump ousts Waltz as NSA, taps him for UN role
speed read President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
-
The Scattered Islands and France's 'triangle of power' in the Indian Ocean
Under The Radar Small, uninhabited but strategically important islands are a point of contention between France and Madagascar
-
Trump blames Biden for tariffs-linked contraction
speed read The US economy shrank 0.3% in the first three months of 2025, the Commerce Department reported
-
Trump says he could bring back Ábgego García but won't
Speed Read At a rally to mark his 100th day in office, the president doubled down on his unpopular immigration and economic policies
-
Canada's Liberals, Carney win national election
Speed Read The party of Prime Minister Mark Carney beat Conservative Pierre Poilievre thanks in part to Trump's trade war
-
Trump's 100-day approval ratings at historic low
Speed Read Americans appear to be wary of Trump's sweeping tariffs and handling of the economy