The White House celebrates Kenya with a state dinner overlooking the sunset and the power of celebrities

WASHINGTON – Thursday’s state dinner at the White House in honor of Kenyan President William Ruto offered about 500 guests stunning views of D.C., a killer menu, a dose of celebrity power and even a little family drama.

“I’m looking forward to having all the conversations,” Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar declared upon arrival, no doubt speaking to many guests at one of the White House’s biggest state dinners.

Country singer Brad Paisley showed up in his signature cowboy hat and wore double hats as a dinner guest and headlining performer. He joked that a pavilion largely made of glass that was erected on the South Lawn for dinner was the fanciest greenhouse in the world, then kicked off his set with his hits “American Saturday Night” and “This is Country Music.”

Singer-songwriter Don McLean attended the festivities, as did Barbara Kingsolver, author of “The Poisonwood Bible,” set in Africa. Asked what inspired her on the continent, Kingsolver replied: “Everything.”

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms brought her 16-year-old son – but she confessed to reporters that he didn’t want to hold her hand. New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker brought her mother, declaring her “the best woman in the world.”

Dinner entertainment mixed Paisley country music and the Howard University gospel choir. It was designed with Ruto and his wife Rachel’s tastes in mind, with First Lady Jill Biden noting the Rutos’ “love of gospel and country music”. The Kenyan president is a former evangelist and often leads songs of praise and worship when he speaks in his country’s churches.

The menu included wood-smoked beef short ribs, poached lobster, chilled heirloom tomato soup and a basket of white chocolate.

Guests arrived on the red carpet to an entrance adorned with red roses and hot pink orchids as Toto’s hit song “Africa” played violin. The long list of guests required some shortcuts: the typical presidential reception line was eliminated because it would take too long for everyone to get through.

Actor LeVar Burton, of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Reading Rainbow” fame, joked that his word of the day for the modern political climate was “worried,” but clarified that he meant it was filled with “possibilities.” . NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was there, as was his NBA counterpart, Adam Silver, who declared, “We need another basketball court at the White House.”

Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, were in attendance, as was another former president – ​​Barack Obama – who appeared briefly earlier in the evening but didn’t stick around. During his toast to Ruto, President Joe Biden joked that attendees included “many members of the African diaspora, one who just left, Barack”.

Hillary Clinton declared it “wonderful to be back.” Her husband told reporters that he particularly liked “the girl behind you,” pointing to a portrait of his wife on the wall from her days as first lady.

The meeting was the first White House state dinner for an African nation since 2008, and was the sixth and largest of the state dinners hosted by Biden.

The event was part of the administration’s efforts to build ties with Africa. Biden failed to fulfill his promise to visit the continent last year, but this week said he plans to visit “in February, after he is re-elected” – a show of optimism about his prospects in the November elections.

Ruto is on a three-day state visit that coincides as his East African country prepares to send forces to Haiti, part of a UN-led effort to try to calm a spiraling security crisis in the country.

Biden said the US and Kenya “share a strong respect for the history that connects us”.

In his toast, Ruto said: “We are proud to take a firm stand, shoulder to shoulder, for democracy in a world where problems have shaken the faith of men.”

Other actors present were Wilmer Valderrama, Sean Penn and Michaela Coel. But even celebrities were impressed. Coel, wearing a red and gold dress borrowed from a Sudanese friend, said it was “my first time in Washington – the closest I had to that was ‘Hamilton,’ the musical.”

NBC news anchor Lester Holt said it was his second official dinner, joking, “I don’t go out much.”

Other attendees included former “Top Chef” contestant Kwame Onwuachi and top Democratic donor Mark Gallogly. Sheryl Sandberg, who helped transform Facebook from a technology startup into a digital advertising empire, philanthropist Melinda Gates and Hunter Biden, the president’s son, who is set to stand trial next month on gun charges in Delaware and federal taxes in September, they were there too.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, a longtime prominent Democratic voice and former presidential candidate, was asked upon arrival about Biden’s chances against his predecessor and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump. He responded that “democracy will 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.

The decor featured fuchsia and purple African orchids and American roses. This is a pair that symbolizes the lasting friendship between the US and Kenya, said Jill Biden, recalling her own visit to Kenya as part of a five-day trip to two countries in Africa in 2023.

Guests dined in the large transparent pavilion intended to provide stunning views of the sunset over the Washington Monument and, later, of the stars in the sky. More than 1,000 candles were placed along the walls of the pavilion, while a suspended centerpiece with 15,000 layered reflective metallic strips was there to amplify the candlelight.

Kenya last had a state dinner at the White House in 2003. No African nation has had one since President George W. Bush honored Ghanaian President John Kufuor five years later.

The Bidens have already hosted post-pandemic state dinners for France, South Korea and India — which featured the Biden administration’s previous record of nearly 400 guests — as well as Australia in October and Japan last month.

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Associated Press writer Evelyne Musambi contributed to this report from Nairobi, Kenya.