WASHINGTON — President Biden hosted Bill and Hillary Clinton for a state dinner with billionaire Big Tech titans at the White House on Wednesday night to commemorate Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit.
The Clintons and actor Robert De Niro also joined them at the head table in the White House East Room, where more than 200 guests sampled house-cured salmon and dry-aged ribeye steak.
Billionaire Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos and Apple CEO Tim Cook were seated at a nearby table.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who was seen holding wine glasses before Biden and Kishida toasted, were also in the room. was in the center of
“We both remember the choices that were made to build our friendship,” Biden, 81, said during his toast. “I remember that we both worked very hard to find healing.”
“Tonight, we pledge to keep moving forward,” the president continued.
Mr. Kishida, 66, quoted “Star Trek” in his toast and vowed that Japan-U.S. relations would “boldly go where no one has gone before.”
Paul Simon, 82, provided the evening’s entertainment in the State Dining Room, beginning just after 10 p.m. with the songs “Graceland” and “Slip Sliding Away.”
First granddaughter Naomi Biden wore a loose pink cherry blossom petal dress and swayed to the music in her second row seat next to Bezos and directly behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
The former Simon & Garfunkel singer is said to be a favorite of first lady Jill Biden.
Other attendees at the lavish gala included figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and United Auto Workers Union President Sean Fein.
Unlike previous state dinners, his scandal-plagued eldest son Hunter Biden did not appear, but his eldest daughter Ashley Biden, Hunter’s daughters Finnegan and Naomi, and Naomi’s husband Peter Neal Other members of the First Family also made the list.
The guest list also includes Anthony Bernal, a close aide to first lady Jill Biden, whom former colleagues accused last month of sexual harassment and bullying.
Bernal, widely considered one of the most powerful officials in President Biden’s White House because of his closeness to the founding family, approached a Post reporter and introduced himself during the evening’s festivities.
He did not answer questions about whether it was appropriate for him to be present given the allegations against him, as a press secretary rushed to end the exchange.
Hours after receiving a request for comment, White House chief of staff Jeff Zients dismissed the allegations against Bernal as “baseless” without investigating them.
Billionaires Neil Bloom (casino and real estate tycoon), John Gray (investor), Amos Hostetter (cable TV pioneer), and Linda and Stewart Resnick (agronomists). , CEO Larry Fink (BlackRock) and Megan Myung-Won Lee (Panasonic North America)
Four governors, all Democrats, received invitations. Kathy Hochul of New York, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Tony Evers of Wisconsin.
Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), a frequent critic of the Biden administration, also joined Democratic colleagues Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Sen. Maisie Hirono (D-Hawaii). He was named on the list along with two others.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) was also invited.
