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Former President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Antony Blinken attend an official State Dinner in honor of President Ruto at the White House in Washington on 23 May 2024.
CNN
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The guest list for Thursday’s White House state dinner included celebrities, politicians and allies of the president, as President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden rolled out the red carpet for Kenyan President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto.
Former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, actor LeVar Burton, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries were among the distinguished guests for the official state dinner – with former President Barack Obama making a brief, surprise appearance.
“There is a bright light in the White House tonight,” Biden told the Kenyan president during his state dinner toast. “Jill and I are honored to have you here.”
He then joked that “many members of the African diaspora” were at Thursday’s black-tie event, including Obama, who “just left.” Biden added that Obama was “very kind” and met with Ruto on Thursday.
The former president was not on the initial list of guests for the state dinner released by the White House. He attended a reception in the Blue Room before dinner and stopped briefly in the dining room, according to his office. Obama, whose father was born in Kenya, visited the country as president in 2015 and returned in 2018 after leaving office.
Biden added that the United States has “strong respect” for Kenya and recalled when former President Jimmy Carter first received Kenyan leaders.
He concluded with an Irish toast, saying in part “until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand – to Kenya, to our guests”.
During the toast, Ruto asked those present to raise a glass to the “continued well-being and long life” of President Biden and the first lady.
A state visit is among the highest diplomatic tools a White House can use to honor an important ally, with the meticulously planned event coming at a time when Biden seeks to emphasize the strong alliance between the two countries.
Hollywood was also present at Thursday’s dinner – actors Wilmer Valderrama and Sean Penn were among the guests, and Burton told reporters it was his first state dinner.
The dinner was scheduled to be held in a “transparent pavilion” on the South Lawn, according to the first lady’s office before the event, which would be adorned with more than 1,000 candles. Guests were expected to be served three courses – the first was a chilled heirloom tomato soup. The main course of Thursday’s dinner was a “best of both worlds” duo of butter-poached lobster and smoked beef short ribs, according to White House executive chef Cris Comerford.
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and his wife, TV producer Jane Skinner Goodell, arrive at the White House Booksellers’ Room on the occasion of the State Dinner with the Kenyan President at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2024 .
Sports commissioners Goodell and Silver were among those invited to Thursday night’s official dinner. The NFL hosted a talent identification camp in Kenya last year as it looked to expand its “NFL Africa” program, according to a press release at the time. NBA Africa has a “subsidiary” in Kenya that opened in November 2023, according to the league.
Philanthropist Melinda French Gates and former Meta chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg were also among those invited to Thursday’s dinner.
Country star Brad Paisley and the Howard Gospel Choir provided the entertainment at the glitzy event. Paisley wore a white cowboy hat as he entered the White House on Thursday night.
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Country star Brad Paisley and his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, arrive at the White House Booksellers Room on the occasion of the State Dinner with the Kenyan President at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2024.
Some members of Congress were also invited to the dinner, including Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Veronica Escobar of Texas, as well as Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas.
Reverend Al Sharpton was invited to the dinner and told reporters that “democracy will win in 2024” when asked if the president would be re-elected.
CNN’s Bianna Golodryga was invited to Thursday’s dinner, as were NBC News’ Lester Holt and The Associated Press’ Darlene Superville.
This visit marks the first time that an American president has hosted an African leader for a state visit since February 2008, when President George W. Bush hosted the president of Ghana. Thursday’s dinner is the sixth state dinner Biden has hosted since he became president.
This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Besty Klein and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.
