It was a star-studded party on Wednesday night as President Joe Biden welcomed celebrities including Robert De Niro, Tiffany Chen and Jeff Bezos to the White House for a state dinner with Fumio Kishida, the Japanese prime minister.
President and First Lady Jill Biden hosted more than 200 guests at the glitzy event in the East Room of the White House, where they dined on a specially curated menu of house-seasoned salmon, dry-aged prime rib, and steak. Matcha ganache.
The guest list appears to include prominent Democrats, tech moguls and Biden family members.
Hollywood actor and outspoken Trump critic De Niro arrived alongside his girlfriend Tiffany Chen.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reached the summit.
Also in attendance were tech moguls Tim Cook and Jeff Bezos, who were joined by Lauren Sanchez, as well as JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.
On the political and administrative aisle of the guest list were US Vice President Kamala Harris, Second-in-Chief Doug Emhoff, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and Janet Yellen, Secretary of the Treasury.
There were also several members of Biden's family, including his granddaughter Naomi and her husband, Peter Neal, as well as prominent labor figures Sean Fine, president of the United Auto Workers, and United Steelworkers president David McCall — whose unions endorsed Biden's re-election.
Both Biden and Kishida took to the stage to deliver a warm and kind speech to the crowd, with the former speaking of the “friendship” between the two countries, and the latter recalling an iconic phrase from Star Trek.
Speaking in English, Kishida told guests at the White House that he hoped the “unwavering relationship” between his country and the United States would “boldly go where no one has gone before.”
“I would like to toast our journey to the frontiers of the Japanese-American relationship with this word: Go boldly,” he said, quoting the famous opening monologue of the original novel. Star Trek series.
The two leaders, who expressed true friendship, pledged to continue to align their countries' interests in facing global challenges.
Biden, 81, said he and Kishida, 66, came of age when their countries forged a strong bond in the decades after they were pitted against each other in World War II.
“We both remember the choices made to form a friendship,” he said. “We both remember the hard work and what was done to heal.”
Biden continued: “Tonight, we pledge to continue progress.”
Dr. Biden had transformed the White House Ballroom into what she called a “vibrant spring garden” for the evening’s event.
The floor of the famous Cross Hall was decorated with images that give the sensation of walking over a koi pond, the first lady said at a media preview on Tuesday, referring to the fish that symbolize “friendship, peace, luck and perseverance.”
Guests enjoyed musical guest Paul Simon, who sang two of his most famous songs, “Graceland” and “Slip Slidin' Away.”
The state dinner is a tool of American diplomacy, an honor bestowed only in moderation on America's closest allies. In the case of Japan, the president bestowed this honor for only the fifth time on an ally he considers a cornerstone of his Indo-Pacific policy.
Kishida is on an official visit to the United States this week, which will be Biden's first official dinner this year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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