Trump treats Macron to rack of lamb at first state dinner

Giving a toast at the first state dinner of his presidency, Donald Trump hailed the bonds between the United States and France, saying, “May our friendship grow even deeper, may our kinship grow even stronger and may our sacred liberty never die.”

President Emmanuel Macron of France thanked Trump for making him the first world leader honored with such a visit and saluted the “unbreakable friendship” between the countries formed nearly 250 years ago.

The dinner for 123 guests and a main course of lamb marked Melania Trump’s highest-profile hostess gig to date as first lady. President Trump thanked her for her efforts, describing her as “America’s absolutely incredible first lady.”

As the Trumps greeted the Macrons, a collection of political and business elite entered the formal dinner, which featured a smaller, more intimate guest list than some of President Barack Obama’s dinners.

Among those attending were Vice President Mike Pence, Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Olympic curlers John Shuster and Meghan Duggan, who flashed their gold medals on their way to the pre-dinner reception.

In a break with tradition, Trump excluded congressional Democrats and journalists. But some Democrats did make the cut, including Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards.

The White House stressed that Mrs. Trump, who planned her 2005 wedding, had a hand in every detail of what is the social highlight of Macron’s visit. She released a brief video showing her working on the details with her staff, including the menu and the cream-and-gold table settings.

The menu was seasonal, featuring young lettuces as part of the first course and spring lamb for the entree. Buttermilk biscuit crumbles added punctuation to a salad featuring a goat cheese gâteau and a burnt-onion soubise, or sauce. For dessert: a nectarine tart with creme fraiche ice cream.

The dinner, executed by longtime White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford, also revealed some sly diplomacy. The rack of lamb was served with jambalaya, an iconic Louisiana dish influenced in part by the French.

Earlier, Mrs. Trump wore a belted suit with a broad-brimmed chapeau, including on an outing to the National Gallery of Art with Mrs. Macron to view an exhibit of French painter Paul Cezanne.

The hat stayed put as she returned to the White House and took her front-row seat in the East Room for the president’s joint news conference with Macron. It bobbed up and down across the bottom of television screens as she entered the room and again as she rose to leave, spawning many a Twitter meme.

With The Washington Post