President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcome Kenya's President William Ruto and first lady Rachel Ruto to the White House in Washington for a State Dinner, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Thursday's White House state dinner honoring Kenyan President William Ruto offered around 500 guests stunning D.C. views, a knockout menu, a dose of celebrity star power and even a little family drama.
Singer-songwriter Don McLean attended the festivities, as did Barbara Kingsolver, author of “The Poisonwood Bible,” set in Africa. Asked what about the continent inspired her, Kingsolver replied, “Everything.” The menu featured fruitwood-smoked beef short ribs, poached lobster, chilled heirloom tomato soup and a white chocolate basket.
Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, were on hand, as was another ex-president — Barack Obama — who popped by briefly early in the evening but didn't stick around. During his toast to Ruto, Biden joked that attendees included “many members of the African diaspora, one who just left, Barack."
The event was part of the administration’s efforts to build ties with Africa. Biden failed to keep a promise to visit the continent last year, but this week he said he plans to visit “in February, after I’m reelected” — a show of optimism about his prospects in November’s election. The Rev. Al Sharpton, a longtime, leading Democratic voice and former presidential candidate himself, was asked while arriving about Biden’s chances against his predecessor and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump. He responded that “democracy is going to win in ’24” while adding that Africa has not been properly recognized on the world stage — which he said made Thursday night’s dinner especially important.