Apple CEO Tim Cook, director M. Night Shyamalan and tennis legend Billie Jean King are among the high-profile guests touching down at the White House for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state dinner.
Also announced by the White House just ahead of the event Thursday: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and President Biden’s son Hunter, who is set to plead guilty to federal tax crimes as announced earlier this week.
Attorney General Merrick Garland, designer Ralph Lauren and Martin Luther King III were also attending the event.
In remarks a day before the black-tie affair, first lady Jill Biden said the visit would bring “together the world’s oldest and the world’s largest democracies. After years of strengthening ties, the U.S.-India partnership is deep and expansive as we jointly tackle global challenges.”
The state visit and dinner hasn’t been without controversy. Some lawmakers and human rights groups have been critical of the White House rolling out the red carpet for Modi.
The event marks the third state dinner during Biden’s time in office. The president hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in April and France’s Emmanuel Macron last December.
The first lady unveiled what she described as a “stunning vegetarian menu” for Thursday’s fête — Modi does not eat meat — featuring marinated millet, stuffed portobello mushrooms and saffron-infused risotto, among other delicacies.
Violinist Joshua Bell and the a cappella group Penn Masala are poised to be among the performers at the dinner.