Obama is surprise guest at State Dinner for Kenya
WASHINGTON
Yes, Barack Obama was there.
State dinners are best known as bear hugs for overseas allies, and Thursday’s honoree was Kenya. But the sixth state dinner of President Joe Biden’s term was designed to clutch domestic allies – not the least of them Obama, whose father was Kenyan – even tighter as the president makes the long slog toward November.
The 500-person event, held on the South Lawn of the White House on a humid May evening, was attended by dozens of influential Kenyans, of course. The list included President William Ruto of Kenya and his wife, Rachel, along with three of his daughters. It also included some of the country’s billionaires, like James Mwangi, the CEO of the global banking conglomerate Equity Group Holdings Limited.
“We share a strong respect for the history that connects us together,” Biden said to his guests during a toast. He quoted from a speech given by President Jimmy Carter, who honored Kenya with a state dinner in 1980: “Neighbors do not share a border but share beliefs.”
But the evening, along with the guest list, was just as notable for what it said about Biden’s current political obstacles. Aside from Obama – the former president was not on the initial guest list published by the White House, and he departed before Biden’s speech – the list name-checked the people Biden will want to bring closer into the fold in the months ahead. The lineup included elected officials in several battleground states, influential Black political operatives, and powerful philanthropists, like Melinda French
Gates.
There were few Hollywood types, though one notable attendee was actor Sean Penn. Penn was photographed by the gossip website TMZ as he spent time with Hunter Biden, who has been working on a documentary about his life, in California this month.
LeVar Burton, a former “Star Trek” officer on the USS Enterprise and a onetime host of the PBS literacy-building program “Reading Rainbow,” was asked by reporters to use a single word to describe the political climate.
“Just one? Can I swear?” asked Burton. “I will say it is fraught, indeed. With possibility. That’s three words.”
All three of those words could apply to Biden’s campaign. According to recent polls, he is trailing his competitor, former President Donald Trump, in several battleground states, and several representatives from those states were in attendance: The mayors of Charlotte, N.C., Phoenix, Milwaukee, Augusta, Ga., and Atlanta all traveled to Washington to dine on chilled heirloom tomato soup and fruitwood-smoked beef short ribs within a few tables of the president.
Like many of the guests, Brad Paisley, the night’s musical entertainment, enjoys a friend-of status. He and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, have headlined several campaign events with first lady Jill Biden since Biden was elected. Paisley, who was the musical guest at a White House dinner for governors in February 2023, was also scheduled to perform with the Howard Gospel Choir.
“I can’t wait to see what kind of audience this is,” Paisley said brightly to reporters, telling them that he was planning to start the festivities with his song “American Saturday Night” – such a hopeful tune for a group that doesn’t really observe weekends.