Business, pleasure on menu for Macron in US
Pageantry of French president’s official state visit comes with a lavish dinner at White House
Asit-down between President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron followed by a joint news conference highlight the business portion of the French leader’s second day in Washington.
The pageantry of Macron’s official state visit, the first of the Trump presidency, was set to come yesterday night with a lavish state dinner at the White House. About 150 guests were expected to dine on rack of lamb and nectarine tart and enjoy an after-dinner performance by the Washington National Opera.
The main course on Tuesday night was a rack of spring lamb and Carolina gold rice jambalaya, “cooked in a New Orleans tradition and scented with the trinity of Cajun cooking — celery, peppers and onions, and spiced with herbs from the south lawn”, the White House announced.
Prepared by White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford, that was to follow a first course of goat cheese gateau, tomato jam, buttermilk biscuit crumbles and young variegated lettuces.
Monday night was more relaxed, featuring a helicopter tour of Washington landmarks with their wives and a trip to the Potomac River home of George Washington for dinner. The presidents and their spouses hopped on a helicopter bound for Mount Vernon, Washington’s historic riverside home, for a private dinner one night before the leaders were to sit down for talks on a weighty agenda including security, trade and the Iran nuclear deal.
“This is a great honour and I think a very important state visit given the moment of our current environment,” Macron said Monday.
Macron’s pomp-filled threeday state visit to Washington underscores the importance both sides attach to the relationship: Macron has emerged as something of a “Trump whisperer” at a time when the American president’s relationships with other European leaders are more strained. Trump, who attaches great importance to the optics of pageantry and ceremony, chose to honour Macron with the first state visit of his administration as he woos the French president.