On Friday morning following President Biden’s first state dinner the night prior, CBS Mornings and NBC’s Today were load for bear to gush over the event starring French President Emmanuel Macron as filled with “glitz and glamor,” “lots of big names,” and even scandal-plagued Hunter Biden.
Moments after touting her friend and former President Barack Obama’s campaign stop in Georgia, CBS Mornings co-host and Democratic donor Gayle King gushed that the dinner in D.C. had a “guest list” that “included lots of big names, people you know.”
Senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang boasted the evening “was glitz and glamor all the way” after a two-year delay thanks to the pandemic.
“And of course, France is known for its food and fashion. Both were on full display, so was friendship as Presidents Biden and Macron tried to reassure the world that their bond is stronger than ever. A warm embrace kicked off the first state dinner in three years. The ending to a day devoted to diplomacy,” she explained.
After a portion on the day’s diplomatic talks about Ukraine and disagreement on “Made in America” provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, Jiang returned to the dinner and hyping the gowns worn by the leading ladies:
Like many world leaders before them, they hit the red carpet together to kick off the evening festivities. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden dazzled in a custom Oscar de la Renta gown. Her French counterpart, Bridget Macron stunned in an ivory Louis Vuitton. President Biden said it was fitting that France was the guest of honor at his first state dinner.
Fitting right in with making sure to plug her CBS colleagues Stephen Colbert and Jon Batiste of The Late Show (along with Julia Louis Dreyfus and French shoe designer Christian Louboutin) with the latter performing as part of the program that included “a decadent meal.”
Over on NBC’s Today, co-host Craig Melvin was enthused, stating in tease: “French toast. President Biden hosting the leader of France in his first star-studded White House state dinner…Just ahead, inside the pomp and circumstance as Washington looks to shore up relations with a key ally.”
Chief White House correspondent Kristen Welker had the story and shared how “American and French cultures came together here at the White House overnight for that first state dinner in three years due to COVID.”
“On the menu, they had butter-poached Maine lobster and also high stakes diplomacy with the leaders looking to strengthen ties, as you said, and also address some of the simmering tensions between them,” she added.
Welker also hung on the celebrity presence by citing leaders of both parties in the House and stars “Jennifer Garner, John Legend, and Jon Batiste” plus an “American-themed dinner menu.”
Near the end of the story, Welker mentioned the appearance of Hunter Biden even though he’s “under federal investigation” and the fact that he was in the same room as possible incoming House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), “McCarthy who has vowed to scrutinize the President’s son.”
“McCarthy brushing off questions about being at the same dinner. All of it wrapping up a day spent chewing over critical issues in an attempt to strengthen ties with America’s oldest ally,” she continued.
This latest dose of anti-Walker coverage was brought to you by advertisers such as Ashley Homestore (on CBS) and Dick’s Sporting Goods (on ABC). Follow the links to see their contact information at the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant transcripts form December 2, click here (for CBS) and here (for NBC).