
With a menu of “comforting” food and instrumental sounds rather than dance party music, the White House set out Wednesday to throw a state dinner that balanced the desire to celebrate ties to a close U.S. ally with an effort to strike a measured tone at a time of mounting death and suffering unfolding in the Middle East.
Up to 350 guests had returned RSVPs and claimed seats for the fourth White House state dinner of President Joe Biden's term, this one honoring Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.