Joe Biden shares picture of ice cream trip with Macron

French President landed in Washington on Tuesday for a four-day state visit to emphasise the strength of US-France relations

From left, US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Jill Biden, the US first lady, and Brigitte Macron at a restaurant in Washington. Twitter

US President Joe Biden has shared a picture of himself and Emmanuel Macron eating ice cream for dessert during the French President's state visit.

Mr Macron landed in Washington on Tuesday for a four-day trip designed to emphasise the strength of US-France relations.

A picture posted on Mr Biden’s Twitter account late on Wednesday showed Mr Biden sitting next to Mr Macron while the pair tucked into bowls of ice cream at Italian seafood restaurant Fiola Mare in Washington.

The leaders’ wives, Jill Biden and Brigitte Macron, sat across from them, without any ice cream.

The image was accompanied by the message: “Welcoming some friends to town.”

Mr Macron is the first foreign leader to be hosted by Mr Biden.

He will be welcomed on Thursday at the White House with a 21-gun salute and military honours.

Mr Macron and his wife were scheduled to have a private dinner with Mr Biden and his wife, as well as a state dinner at the White House.

Hundreds of guests are to be welcomed in a pavilion set up on the South Lawn for the centrepiece event of the first state visit hosted by Mr Biden since he took office in early 2021.

The menu, released to the media ahead of the dinner, will include butter-poached Maine lobster, beef with shallot marmalade and an American cheese trio.

Dessert will be orange chiffon cake, roasted pears and creme fraiche ice cream.

A state dinner is a high diplomatic honour that the US reserves for its closest allies.

“The design of this dinner was inspired by the shared colours of our flags, red white and blue, and our common values, liberty and democracy, equality and fellowship,” Mr Biden said. “These form the bedrock upon which our enduring friendship was built.”

At the White House, Mr Macron is expected to confront Mr Biden over new US subsidies riling European leaders, Reuters reported. The two leaders could disagree over the war in Ukraine and China policy.

Mr Macron was also the first foreign leader invited for a formal state visit by former president Donald Trump.

President Joe Biden and President Emmanuel Macron - in pictures