STORY: "Tonight, we celebrate the enduring alliance between France and the United States," Biden said as guests clinked their champagne flutes. "Vive la France and God bless America."

Macron added that the two countries come from "the same values" of "we, the people."

Macron arrived in Washington on Tuesday (November 29) for his second state visit to the United States since the French leader took office in 2017. Biden, 80, and Macron, 44, have had many meetings at international gatherings, but this was the longest time they have spent together. The dinner is the crowning social event of a trip aimed at showing Biden's commitment to Washington's oldest ally even as the two countries wrangle over how to handle Russia's war in Ukraine, subsidies for U.S. products and other issues.

The lavish Washington dinner is one of few events that bring together people, including the president's son Hunter and Kevin McCarthy, who leads a Republican congressional delegation that has vowed to investigate his business dealings.