It was all very polite.
Ambassadors, billionaires, a few members of the Biden family and even a former president were all in attendance at the fifth state dinner held by President Biden and Jill Biden, the first lady, since taking office.
The gauzy celebration relied heavily on Japanese fans, cherry blossoms and other signs of the softer side of U.S.-Japan relations. The content of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s state visit focused on finding ways to counter China, but the style of the dinner was all about highlighting a capital that owes much of its springtime splendor to diplomatic overtures from the Japanese.
As dinner began in the East Room, Mr. Biden toasted “to our alliance, to our friendship.” He kept things similarly light earlier in the evening when he welcomed Mr. Kishida to the White House and responded “thank you” to a reporter’s question about expectations that Iran would retaliate against Israel for its attack on an Iranian target in Syria .
Mr. Kishida also supported the idea of friendship.
“The Pacific Ocean does not separate Japan and the United States. Rather, it unites us,” Mr. Kishida said during his dinner toast, noting that President Kennedy once said the same thing 60 years ago. “I like that line. I use it so much that my co-workers tried to delete it.”
The crude symbolic gestures were reciprocated by the Bidens. Naomi Biden Neal, the president’s eldest granddaughter, who married in the White House in 2022, appeared in a dress with cherry blossoms printed on it.
Dr. Biden wore a sapphire blue ombre dress by designer Oscar de la Renta. Finnegan Biden, another of Biden’s granddaughters, sat at the main table with her grandparents.
The participants had a strong tendency to be polite. Even Rahm Emanuel, the swear-prone ambassador to Japan, lent his talents to the art of polite dinner conversation: In an interview, he said he spent part of his visit to Washington listening to Paul Simon, the evening’s musical guest, to help figure out how to greet Mr. Kishida in Japanese.
Ashley Biden, the president’s eldest daughter, politely but quickly walked away from the cameras after telling reporters about her dress. On Tuesday, a Florida woman was sentenced to prison for selling Ms. Biden’s private diary to a right-wing activist group. But external concerns rarely stand between a Biden and an invitation to a state dinner. Ms. Biden’s brother, Hunter, attended a state dinner last year while he was under federal investigation.
As President Bill Clinton entered the festivities against a backdrop of giant painted fans, he joyfully pointed to a portrait of his wife Hillary Clinton, the former first lady, former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee. Mrs. Clinton, dressed in a fuchsia and gold kaftan, stood next to standing next to her husband, beaming.
“Oh, we’re having a great time tonight,” Mrs. Clinton told reporters.
The Clintons were among a group of attendees invited to the upstairs Yellow Oval Room, where Biden Cabinet officials and several diplomatic guests joined in a toast delivered in English by Mr. Kishida and mingled on the Truman Balcony People mixed.
“How pretty is that?” This is so pretty!” said Gina Raimondo, the Commerce Secretary, with a sweeping gesture as she walked past reporters on her way inside.
Sometimes the unseemly (at least compared to cherry blossoms) business of politics crept in. But several participants didn’t seem excited to talk about Mr. Biden’s re-election campaign — or the issues surrounding it — when asked. Janet Yellen, the Treasury secretary, dodged a question about inflation on her way to dinner.
Billionaire Jeff Bezos arrived with his fiancée Lauren Sanchez and did not say whether he planned to donate to Mr. Biden’s campaign. Neither did Apple CEO Tim Cook when asked the same question.
Actor Robert De Niro, who traveled with his girlfriend Tiffany Chen, did not respond to reporters about whether he was willing to campaign for Mr. Biden. Mr. De Niro, 80, recently attended a high-dollar fundraiser for the Biden campaign in New York City. (He and Ms. Chen are also parents to a 1-year-old—there are worse ways to spend a date night.)
Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood, paused to speak to reporters about the importance of raising awareness of reproductive rights ahead of the November election. This week, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld a near-total ban on abortion dating back to the 19th century.
“We have made great progress,” Ms. Richards said. “Just the fact that everything was taken away was very motivating for women and men.”
Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin, a Democrat, also reminded reporters of his state’s importance in November. “It will be the difference between a victory and a defeat for the president,” Mr. Evers said before going in.
Kamala Harris, the vice president, appeared in sparkling Valentino alongside Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman. She did not answer a question about Arizona.
As the evening progressed, there were clear indications that political strategy, not just pleasantries, would be on the menu alongside the caramel pistachio cake with matcha ganache, cherry ice cream and a selection of American wines.
Ms. Richards, Mr. De Niro and the Clintons were guests at the Bidens’ main table on Wednesday evening, along with Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, a Democrat who joined a Biden campaign call last week to attack Republican-led abortion Restrictions.
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2024-04-11 01:26:13
www.nytimes.com