WASHINGTON — Georgia Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock attended his first White House state dinner Thursday night, an affair in honor of Kenyan President William Ruto and first lady Rachel Ruto.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson were also on the list of roughly 500 guests. So was Reta Jo Lewis, a Georgia native and the first person of color to lead the U.S. Export-Import Bank.
Warnock’s tenure in the Senate coincides with President Joe Biden’s time in the White House, as they were both sworn in on the same day in January 2021. This is Biden’s sixth state dinner, according to The Associated Press.
Bottoms spent eight months working at the White House as a senior adviser to Biden and director of the Office of Public Engagement. She brought her son, Langston, with her as her guest to the dinner.
“I asked my son if he was going to hold my hand and he said no,” she quipped as they embraced on the red carpet.
Later, Warnock arrived with his guest, Donna Byrd. She is a startup founder, former Atlanta resident and the senator’s longtime friend.
State dinners are formal affairs, usually attended by U.S. government and elected officials, dignitaries from the guest country, and a curated list of celebrities and other political insiders.
The AP reported that guests dined on fruitwood-smoked beef short ribs, poached lobster, chilled heirloom tomato soup and a white chocolate basket for dessert. Country star Brad Paisley and the Howard University gospel choir provided entertainment.
Kenya became the first African nation since 2008 to have its leader hosted at a state dinner. Biden has previously held state dinners in honor of the leaders of Australia, France, India, Japan and South Korea.
Other notable guests for the dinner included the Rev. Al Sharpton, actor LeVar Burton, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, actor Sean Penn, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Former President Barack Obama wasn’t on the official guest list but made an appearance. His father was from Kenya.
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