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The first girl unveiled the annual holiday decorations on Monday, so the White House will be festive. But management didn’t discuss all the other details, until Wednesday afternoon’s preview. “This state dinner is an exclusive opportunity to celebrate the cultural ties and shared values between France and the United States,” White House Social Secretary Carlos Elizondo said in an email last week.
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The menu? Poached lobster and caviar in butter, beef and potatoes, a variety of American cheeses and an orange muslin cake with crème fraîche ice cream, a subtle edition of Biden’s favorite delicacy. The wines? American, as usual.
The location? A glass and vinyl tent on the south lawn. More than three hundred visitors will be transported from the executive mansion to the tent in wagons. Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and New Orleans venue Jon Batiste will perform after dinner.
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Porcelain? White and gold, and praised. It turns out that all the historical tableware of the White House is allowed outside. “White House presidential porcelain is a component of the White House collection, and conservatives are opposed to us taking it out of space just because of the breakage,” Elizondo said Wednesday. .
The evening begins with an official arrival at the north portico, where the president and first lady welcome visitors of honor and pose for photos. It is also the great fashion moment of the evening, when the dresses of the first ladies are revealed: a great condiment. for designers. (Note: Michelle Obama wore a rose gold chain mail from Atelier Versace for the 2016 Italy state dinner; Melania Trump decided on Chanel Haute Couture for Macron’s 2018 party. )of the first family. For cocktails and talks.
Meanwhile, visitors arrive and walk through the White House’s East Lawn Hall, nicknamed the Booksellers’ Hall. Military assistants announce their names, photographers take their photos, and journalists ask for attractive quotes. Aperitif time ends when all visitors have arrived, then everyone is gently guided to their table.
The dinner itself is highlighted by brief but heartfelt toasts, a sublime dinner, and table jumps: the hallways are filled with other people chatting and watching to get an up-close look at the presidents. The food is prepared by White House chefs, with celebrities in the kitchen: Marcus Samuelsson created a vegetarian menu for the Obamas’ dinner for India and Mario Batali designed the food for Italy. After dessert, the entertainment program lasts about 30 minutes and concludes with a brief thank you from the host and dancing.
When he calls the White House, the big stars appear: Frank Sinatra for Reagan’s 1984 dinner honoring Sri Lanka; Elton John and Stevie Wonder at Clinton’s dinner in 1998 for Britain’s Tony Blair; Beyoncé at Barack Obama’s dinner for Mexican President Felipe Calderón in 2010.
Administration officials, congressional leaders, corporate bigwigs, political donors, a dash of celebrities and some visitors with ties to the honored country, as well as diplomatic delegations from both countries.
Celebrities have a connection to the country. British actress Angela Lansbury sat at the main table at Queen Elizabeth II’s dinner in 1991. Fluency French-speaking film star Bradley Cooper was invited to President François Hollande’s 2014 dinner. J. Fox, Sandra Oh, Lorne Michaels, Mike Myers and Ryan Reynolds were chosen for the 2016 State Dinner in honor of the country where they were born, Canada.
The guest list takes weeks to meet with input from the president and first lady, the Social Office, congressional liaison, the State Department and the Democratic National Committee or the Republican National Committee. Each guest receives a complicated formal invitation from the White House for that user and a plus one, and everyone will have to submit their date of birth and other non-public data to transparent security that night.
The number of visitors depends on where the dinner takes place: the State Dining Hall, the classic site of maximum state dinners in the afterlife, seats another 140 people. The East Hall, where visitors piled up for after-dinner entertainment, can sit 260 more people for dinner, depending on the layout of the table.
But a tent can contain. . . Well, all you want, depending on the length of the tent. Clinton’s management liked to use giant tents for state dinners, so it’s possible they would invite more people: a guest list was 700. While some dinners still take place inside the executive mansion, the use of tents has an increasingly common practice.
Ronald and Nancy Reagan enjoyed entertaining and hosted 56 state dinners during the two terms, according to the Reagan Presidential Library, beginning with Thatcher’s in 1981 and ending with one for her in 1988. But his most prominent dinner (technically not a state dinner) was in 1985 for Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The iconic moment came towards the end of the night, when John Travolta spun Diana, dressed in a midnight blue velvet dress, as they danced to a combination of “Saturday Night. “Fever” performed by the Marine Band.
Donald and Melania Trump have hosted the fewest state dinners: one for Macron in 2018 and another for Australia the following year. A dinner in honor of the Kings of Spain scheduled for April 2020 and canceled due to the pandemic. By the same token, Biden’s management waited nearly two years before hosting its first state dinner.
The State Department and White House staff spend many sleepless nights trying to anticipate and avoid any imaginable accident. One thing they can’t control: the weather. While the tent will be heated and decorated like a casual wedding reception, Thursday’s temperature will be cool. And it is always difficult to get many other people through security.
Which reminds us of the most notorious state dinner in the history of fashion. The Obamas held their first state dinner, honoring India, in November 2009, with a guest list of more than three hundred people and a tent on the South Lawn. the raw, rainy night, and the effort to get many VIPs out of the bloodless dinner and dinner, plus some personnel changes through social secretary Desirée Rogers and the secret service, led to the notorious collapse of the party through truth stars Tareq and Michaele. Salahi. who controlled to pass through security, mix and cross the reception line before dinner. The rape prompted a congressional investigation and Rogers’ early departure from his job.
The first Biden state dinner will be held in a tent on the South Lawn in December. Nan, don’t even think about it.
This story has been updated.