President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted the administration’s first state dinner at the White House on Thursday, honoring French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte.
The swanky gathering featured more than 300 attendees, including administration officials, politicos, celebrities, fashion icons, and Republican lawmakers. According to a Fox News Digital review of the guest list and campaign finance records, several top-dollar Biden donors also scored invites to the posh event.
The black-tie gathering is a coveted ticket among the rich and powerful who look to mingle with power brokers. The event’s menu included a lavish selection of desserts and seafood, such as butter-poached Maine lobster, beef with shallot marmalade, orange chiffon cake, roasted creme fraiche ice cream and caviar.
Among the major Biden donors in attendance was Alex Soros, deputy chair of the Open Society Foundations (OSF) and son of billionaire megadonor George Soros, who contributed more than $700,000 to the Biden Victory Fund during the 2020 elections. Sarah Margon, OSF’s foreign policy director, joined him at the dinner. Margon is Biden’s nominee for Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, though her appointment remains in limbo since she caught flak for her past tweets about Israel.
BIDEN WHITE HOUSE HOSTS FIRST STATE DINNER WITH SON HUNTER, GOP LEADERS IN ATTENDANCE
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, wave from the Blue Room Balcony during a State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Billionaire businesswoman Laurene Powell Jobs, who donated more than $700,000 to the Biden Victory Fund, appeared on the guest list. Powell Jobs founded Emerson Collective, a private grantmaking foundation focusing on climate, education, journalism, and other issues. She has funded the parent company of a network of liberal “fake news” sites, which pushed pieces that mirrored press releases from Democratic politicians, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
Film producer and former Walt Disney Studios chair Jeffrey Katzenberg and his wife, Marilyn, attended the event. Both donated more than $700,000 to the Biden Victory Fund in 2020.
Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, the country’s largest teachers union that spends large sums backing Democrats, also appeared at the affair. Pringle and individuals from her union fought school reopenings while maintaining close contact with top Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials, including director Rochelle Walensky, and influenced last-minute changes to school guidance, Fox News Digital reported.
Several major donors to Biden’s victory fund and campaign received invites to the state dinner.
(Jaob King/Pool Photo via AP)
Other major Biden donors in attendance included Stewart Bainum, CEO of Choice Hotels International, and his wife, Sandra. The pair combined to donate $1.2 million to the Biden Victory Fund. Judith Pisar, Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s mother, who gave $100,000 to the Biden Victory Fund in 2020, also appeared. Anne Finucane, vice chair of Bank of America, pushed $10,000 to the fund and received an invitation.
BIDEN STATE DINNER BECOMES LIBFEST WITH STEPHEN COLBERT, JOHN LEGEND, MSNBC HOSTS AMONG ATTENDEES
Presidents from both political parties have invited big-money donors to such events. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Biden, Macron and their wives posed for photos and exchanged greetings as the guests arrived at the tent erected on the South Lawn of the White House.
The president’s son, Hunter Biden, who was in attendance, is under a federal investigation into his tax affairs. The investigation reached a critical stage in July, and federal prosecutors are considering charges against him concerning foreign lobbying violations, tax crimes, false statements and more.
President Joe Biden stands with French President Emmanuel Macron after a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022.
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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The list of those in attendance also included Vogue editor Anna Wintour, host Stephen Colbert and celebrities Julia Louis-Dreyfus, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Jennifer Garner and Ariana DeBose.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed reporting.
