US President Joe Biden will spend Thursday taking part in a flurry of events as part of his first state visit since taking office, welcoming the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron and his spouse, Brigitte Macron.
US President Joe Biden will spend Thursday taking part in a flurry of events as part of his first state visit since taking office, welcoming the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron and his spouse, Brigitte Macron.
The Macrons’ trip to the White House marks their second time as the guests of honor for a state visit, having first done so during Donald Trump’s administration in 2018. Thursday’s agenda is filled with formal fanfare, with a list of events expect to highlight the strength of the critical relationship between the US and its oldest ally.
The Macrons’ return for another state visit also follows a dramatic bounce-back in US-French relations compared to just a year ago, when Macron took the extraordinary step of recalling his ambassador to Washington over a US-Australia submarine deal that blindsided the French and cost them a multi-billion dollar defense contract. The riff appears to largely be behind them, and Biden and Macron have deepened their ties even more over the last year in their united efforts to combat Russia’s war on Ukraine.
“Throughout all of these events, you can expect to see on display both our long-shared history as allies, as well as our deep partnership … on the most urgent global challenges of today and tomorrow,” White House national security council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Monday.
