Bidens' first White House state dinner a star-studded affair

President Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden held their first White House state dinner of the Biden administration Thursday night, hosting French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, along with a star-studded guest list. In his toast, Mr. Biden touched on the long bilateral relationship between the two countries, dating back to the American Revolutionary War, and calling France the "first friend" of the U.S. "France was our first ally, first country to fly the American flag after our revolution," Mr. Biden said. "Today, we're still united by the greatest causes: democracy, liberty, equality, opportunity and freedom," Mr. Biden added. In his toast, Macron echoed those sentiments, calling Mr. Biden a "dear friend." "You perfectly describe the challenges we have in front of us," Macron said. The White House had not held a state dinner since September 2019, largely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which put a damper on gatherings of large numbers of people. The dinner