Biden honors Kenya with state visit to White House
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden hosted Kenyan President President William Ruto and his wife, first lady Rachel Ruto, for an elaborate state dinner Thursday night.
It's the first state visit a U.S. president has held for a president of an African nation since 2008, even as Mr. Biden has yet to fulfill his promise to visit Africa as president. Mr. Biden told reporters Wednesday that he plans to go in February, "after I'm reelected."
William Ruto, Kenya's president, center left, Rachel Ruto, Kenya's first lady, third left, President Biden, center right, and First Lady Jill Biden, second right, during an arrival ceremony at the North Portico of the White House ahead of a state dinner in Washington, D.C., on May 23, 2024. A U.S. president is hosting a state visit for an African leader for the first time in 16 years.
Anna Rose Layden/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The two leaders held a joint news conference Thursday, after their meetings and ahead of the state dinner.
"The world is safer when Kenya and the United States work together," Mr. Biden said as Ruto arrived.
William Ruto, Kenya's president, shares a toast to President Biden, not pictured, during a state dinner on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 23, 2024.
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First Lady Jill Biden acknowledges White House Executive Chef Cris Comerford (2nd L) and White House Executive Pastry Chef Susie Morrison (L) during a State Dinner for Kenyan President William Ruto at the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 23, 2024.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
"Today, I am as optimistic and hopeful as I was those years ago, when Kenyan patriots raised that new flag high in that midnight sky," Mr. Biden said. "Because Kenya and the United States stand together, committed to each other, committed to our people, and committed to building a better world."
The night's musical guest was country music star Brad Paisley.
Musician Brad Paisley performs during a state dinner in honor of Kenya's president William Ruto hosted by President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 23, 2024.
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The guests
Notable guests for Thursday's state dinner included former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, actor Sean Penn, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, philanthropist Melinda French Gates, guitarist Don McLean, tech executive Sheryl Sandberg and NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
Several of President Biden's family members attended, including his son, Hunter, granddaughters Naomi Biden and Finnegan Biden, and sister-in-law Sara Biden.
Former President Bill Clinton, left, and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, arrive to attend a state dinner in honor of Kenya's president William Ruto at the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 23, 2024.
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell his wife Jane Skinner Goodell arrive at the Booksellers Room of the White House for the state dinner with the Kenyan president at the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 23, 2024.
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Sean Penn and Ann Lee arrive at the Booksellers area of the White House for the State Dinner hosted by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden for Kenya's President William Ruto and Kenya's first lady Rachel Ruto, Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Washington.
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
Don McLean and Paris Dunn arrive at the Booksellers area of the White House for the State Dinner hosted by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden for Kenya's President William Ruto and Kenya's first lady Rachel Ruto, Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Washington.
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
The food and decor
Thursday's menu and decor are built around a seasonal theme, according to the White House executive chef.
Place settings are seen atop a sequined table cloth with a colorful flower arrangement during a preview of the State Dinner with Kenya.
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White House Executive Chef Cris Comerford and Executive Pastry Chef Susie Morrison present the menu during the media preview of the Kenya State Dinner at the White House, May 22, 2024.
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The first course consists of chilled green tomato soup, with marinated onions and cucumber marinated in white balsamic vinegar.
The first course, a chilled heirloom tomato soup with sourdough crisps and arbequina olive oil, is shown by White House Executive Chef Cris Comerford during a media preview on May 22, 2024.
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
"We are welcoming the beginning of summer," White House executive chef Cris Comerford told reporters Wednesday.
The entree is lobster poached in butter, along with marinated and lightly smoked short ribs.
Those dishes will be served on kale, roasted corn, a corn puree, roasted turnips, sweet potatoes and squash.
The main course of fruitwood-smoked beef short ribs, butter-poached lobster, citrus butter, baby kale, and a sweet corn purée is shown by White House Executive Chef Cris Comerford during a media preview, May 22, 2024.
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
And for dessert, the White House is serving a homemade white chocolate basket, with a nectarine paste inside. It will also have a banana ganache, fresh raspberries, and peaches. Surrounding the basket is fresh strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries. The U.S. and Kenyan flags are stamped on the basket's cover at the front of the dessert dish.
White House Executive Pastry Chef Susie Morrison holds a dessert of a white chocolate basket with banana ganache, raspberries, peaches and candied lime zest.
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
The scene
White House social secretary Carlos Elizondo said a cocktail reception on the terrace would come before the dinner. As the sun set, guests entered the transparent pavilion, where more than 1,000 candles on the walls framed the Washington Monument. The first lady loves candlelight, and the gesture was intended to make guests from abroad feel at home.
The gifts
The Bidens also gifted the Kenyan couple a set of North Carolina-made rocking chairs with personalized inscriptions. They also gave the Rutos a first edition of "The Trumpet of Conscience" by Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. Biden will give her Kenyan counterpart a custom pearl and peridot gemstone necklace made in Philadelphia.
Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.
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