President Donald Trump will host the President of France for the first official state dinner of his presidency Tuesday night.
WASHINGTON (CBSMiami) – President Donald Trump will host the President of France for the first official state dinner of his presidency Tuesday night.
Monday night Trump welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigette at George Washington’s 18th-century mansion in Mount Vernon, Virginia. The relationship sealed with an aggressive Trumpian handshake, and regular phone calls.
Macron has said his was a friendly relationship with Trump.
“It’s very easy, as soon as he asks for a call, I call him back and exactly the same on his side. We have very fluent and open discussions,” he said during an interview last December.
Macron arrived in Washington with an agenda, persuade the president to keep U. S. troops in Syria and stay in the Iran nuclear deal. Trump has indicated that he’s leaning against both.
‘President Macron has broken the code with President Trump, he’s worked the relationship,” said Heather Conley, a former state department official, who added that this state visit will highlight unity and France’s acceptance of an alliance with Trump.
“This is returning a generous hospitality but also a way to really clearly state how strong a partner France is,” said Conley.
Macron treated the president to the Bastille Day parade in Paris last year, which included a tribute to the 100th anniversary of U. S. involvement in World War One. The spectacle inspired plans for a grand military parade in Washington in November.
Macron also treated the president and First Lady Melania Trump to an intimate dinner at the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Tuesday night’s dinner will be held in the state dining room. The First Lady did a final walkthrough Monday night to view the preparations.
“It’s in good hands. I think Mrs. Trump is very involved and the staff seems to love working with her,” said Jeremy Bernard.
Bernard was the social secretary in charge of planning state dinners for President and Mrs. Obama. He said the secret to a successful dinner is simple.
“Pull out all the stops, make them feel welcomed, and make it presidential as possible,” he said.
He added that there’s not a lot that can go wrong.
“Overall it’s pretty scripted. so, it just depends whether or not this president stays on script,” he said.
About 150 guests are expected to dine on rack of lamb and nectarine tart and enjoy an after-dinner performance by the Washington National Opera.
