Yes, Barack Obama was there.
State dinners are best known as bear hugs for foreign allies, and Thursday’s honoree was Kenya. But the sixth state dinner of President Biden’s term was designed to bring domestic allies — and notably Mr. Obama, whose father was Kenyan — even closer together as the president heads into November .
The event, which brought together 500 people, was held on the South Lawn of the White House on a humid evening in May, attended, of course, by dozens of influential Kenyans. The list included President William Ruto of Kenya and his wife, Rachel, as well as three of his daughters. It also included some of the country’s richest figures, such as James Mwangi, chief executive of global banking conglomerate Equity Group Holdings Limited.
“We share a deep respect for the history that connects us,” Mr. Biden told his guests in a toast. He cited an excerpt from a speech by President Jimmy Carter, who honored Kenya with a state dinner in 1980: “Neighbors do not share borders but share beliefs. »
But the evening, like the guest list, was equally notable for what it said about Mr. Biden’s current political obstacles. Besides Mr. Obama — the former president was not on the initial guest list released by the White House and he left before Mr. Biden’s speech — the list vetted the names of people Mr. Biden will want to gather in the lap. the months to come. The list included elected officials from several battleground states, influential black political operatives and powerful philanthropists, like Melinda French Gates.
In choosing their guests, the president and Jill Biden, the first lady, mixed supporters of the president’s reelection effort with several members of the Biden family — Mr. Biden’s granddaughters and son, Hunter, who is scheduled to stand trial on gun charges next month. (Hunter Biden’s wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, walked the red carpet alone.) There were few Hollywood types, although one notable attendee was actor Sean Penn. Mr Penn was photographed by gossip site TMZ while spending time with Hunter Biden, who was working on a documentary about his life, in California earlier this month.
And then there was a long list of administration officials, including Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, whose Justice Department indicted the younger Mr. Biden with tax fraud in December. The Bidens put together a similarly packed guest list almost a year ago, when Hunter Biden attended the state dinner honoring India.
In another way, the evening seemed designed to give several overworked Biden officials a night off — if you can call it that. Jeff Zients, White House chief of staff, and Elizabeth Alexander, the first lady’s communications director, were invited, as was Carlos Elizondo, White House social secretary, who helped plan the last six state dinners .
Some attendees, like veteran political strategist Donna Brazile, tried to dodge talk of the 2024 election, but reality managed to slip into the hazy event.
LeVar Burton, a former “Star Trek” officer on the USS Enterprise and former host of the PBS literacy program “Reading Rainbow,” was asked by reporters to use a single word to describe the political climate.
“Just one? Can I swear? asked Mr. Burton, a national treasure. “I will say that it is indeed difficult. Possibly. That’s three words.
These three words could apply to Mr. Biden’s campaign. According to recent polls, he is trailing his competitor, former President Donald J. Trump, in several battleground states, and several representatives from those states were in attendance: the mayors of Charlotte, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Augusta and Atlanta all traveled to Washington to dine on chilled heirloom tomato soup and wood-smoked beef short ribs a few tables from the president.
Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former secretary of state, arrived this spring for their second state dinner – the last, for Japan, was held there a little over a month old. Mr. Biden relies on Mr. Clinton and Mr. Obama for their support, advice and fundraising skills: an event the three organized in New York in March raised $25 million.
Senator Raphael Warnock, Democrat of Georgia, was retained, as was Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, a longtime friend and confidant of the president.
(Mr. Coons recently dined on muskrat cooked in Delaware at a reception intended to strengthen relations at home. On his plate Thursday, however, were butter-poached lobster and kale with sweet corn puree, with a basket of white chocolate for dessert.)
The lone Republican, Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, is an ally of President Mike Johnson and is believed to have been instrumental in urging Mr. Johnson to support the latest round of military funding for Ukraine.
Even Brad Paisley, the evening’s musical host, enjoys friend status. He and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, have headlined several events with the first lady since Mr. Biden’s election. Mr. Paisley, who was the musical guest at a governors’ dinner at the White House in February 2023, also performed with the Howard Gospel Choir.
“I can’t wait to see what kind of audience it is,” Mr. Paisley told reporters, telling them that he planned to start the festivities with his song “American Saturday Night” — a song so full of hope for a group. This doesn’t really affect weekends.
At several points, participants briefly shared their thoughts on investing in African economies and programs. Adam Silver, the commissioner of the National Basketball Association, said he supports the development of sports programs in Africa and said the White House should rebuild its basketball court. (Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the National Football League, accelerated by reporters.)
Author Barbara Kingsolver, who has drawn inspiration from the continent in many of her novels, was circumspect when asked what about Africa had so influenced her work.
“Everything,” the Pulitzer Prize winner said before slipping inside.
News Source : www.nytimes.com
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