It’s not just a lobster dinner - there’s a pivotal message in Biden hosting Macron

When French President Emmanuel Macron alights from his armoured limousine onto the South Lawn of the White House Thursday morning, he’ll be greeted with a familiar scene.

One of the US armed services’ top-notch military bands will play “La Marseillaise” as the military escort stationed there to greet him stands at attention. The US Army Old Guard’s Presidential Salute Battery will fire 21 blanks from their 72mm howitzers, and “The Star-Spangled Banner” will be played while the escort troops return to attention.

He and President Joe Biden will conduct a formal inspection of the massed troops, watch the Old Guard’s Fife and Drum Corps march past while playing “Yankee Doodle,” and deliver remarks to the assembled spectators before proceeding to the Blue Room so Mr Macron can sign the White House guestbook, then to the Red Room for an exchange of official gifts.

Later that day, Mr Macron and his wife will return for a state dinner in the State Dining Room, followed by a musical performance and dancing.

It’s all part of a highly-choreographed run of ceremonies that will be nearly exactly the same as what the French leader experienced just over four years ago, when he became the first foreign leader to be honoured with a state visit under Mr Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump.

It’s not unusual for the Franco-American relationship to be celebrated in such public ways. It’s an alliance that dates back to the Ancien Régime, to the days when Louis XVI threw his lot in with a certain set of rebellious colonies who were looking to gain their independence from Great Britain.

But Mr Macron’s second state visit to the US in four years and seven months (protocol requires at least a four-year interval between visits from any single country) is a sign that his tenure leading the Fifth Republic has raised France’s stock in America’s eyes at a time when the UK’s exit from the European Union and years of dysfunctional Tory governments have dulled the lustre of the “Special Relationship”.

For Mr Biden, his French counterpart has been a steady presence within the leading global bodies in which both countries participate, including the Group of Seven, Nato, and the UN Security Council’s permanent membership, and has played a key role in Biden administration diplomatic initiatives as Mr Biden has sought to show allies that the US is reengaging in the multilateral world after four years of retreat under Mr Trump.

open image in gallery

Mr Macron has also played a central role in US-led efforts to bring the western world together in defence of Ukraine’s fight against Russian invading forces by bringing the entire European Union into the Nato-led coalition of Kyiv’s supporters.

John Kirby, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said France “has literally been at the center of almost every single national security issue that matters to the American people and to our allies” over the last year.

A senior administration official who briefed reporters on plans for Mr Macron’s visit said it was “fitting” for France to receive the first state visit of the Biden administration because it remains “a critical partner for the United States on the full range of global challenges”.

“It really has been an incredible year of partnership, particularly in response to the crisis in Ukraine, including through our collaboration together within the G7, on the U.N. Security Council, as Allies in NATO, and working in close partnership with the European Union,” the official said.

Mr Macron, who arrived in the US on Wednesday, has already had a full schedule of engagements, including a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris at Nasa headquarters. The joint appearance followed a previous trip to France by Ms Harris, who appeared to strike up a fast friendship with the French leader.

The emergence of France as a top US partner in Europe has come as other traditional allies have been beset with political turmoil.

In Germany, the end of Angela Merkel’s time as chancellor has taken a major player off the board, while the UK’s retreat from the EU has reduced its’ influence. Mr Macron is also the longest-serving leader of any of the Group of Seven nations, and has been working to establish himself and his country as first among equals in Europe.

Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told CNN that France “has in many respects jumped to the head of the queue and become America’s go-to partner when it comes to advancing transatlantic cooperation” because of Mr Macron himself.

After the official festivities are concluded, Mr Macron and Mr Biden expect to release a joint statement outlining the result of the bilateral discussions that will take place on Thursday.

But while there’s some tension between the two countries over made-in-America provisions in Mr Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act legislation, fissures that looked to be opening last year when the US and UK surprised France by announcing a deal to share nuclear submarine technology with Australia appear to have healed.

Mr Biden and Mr Macron are set to discuss a range of issues, including the war in Ukraine, China policy, and Iran’s nuclear weapons programme. But a senior administration official warned reporters to not expect much in the way of drama to come from these talks.

“We’re in an extremely strong place with France. There has been a tremendous convergence of our policy on all the big ticket items,” they said.