Biden, Blinken to host Blair House 200th anniversary receptions
President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Tony Blinken are set to host back-to-back receptions on Sunday evening to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Blair House, the president’s official guest house. Blair House has hosted foreign heads of state and dignitaries, including leaders from Israel. Located across the street from the White House, Blair House is also where incoming presidents frequently stay on the eve of their presidential inaugurations.
Cosmetics executive Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer, the daughter of businessman and philanthropist Ronald Lauder, posted invitations to the two receptions on Instagram. Biden’s reception is called for 5 p.m. on Sunday at the White House, followed by a 7 p.m. dinner at the State Department’s Benjamin Franklin Room hosted by Blinken and his wife, White House Cabinet Secretary Evan Ryan.
According to the Blair House guestbook, past guests from Israel have included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in 1996 during his first term, as well as former prime ministers Golda Meir, in 1973, Yitzhak Rabin, in 1974, Ariel Sharon, in 2001, and former President Shimon Peres in 2012. Chaim Weizmann, then-President of the Provisional Council of the State, stayed at Blair House in May 1948.
In 2020, the Washington Post reported that Netanyahu and his wife Sara were known to bring suitcases of dirty laundry to be cleaned at Blair House. Israeli officials denied the allegations. Depending on the status of his relationship with the sitting president, Netanyahu has not always been invited to stay at Blair House. Netanyahu stayed at the Watergate Hotel during his most recent visit to Washington in July.