The White House invites a neighbor -- over for dinner! That neighbor? Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
With one man nearing the end of his role as national leader and the other just in the beginning of his, President Obama welcomed the leader of our neighboring country, Canada, to a State Dinner in Washington D.C. A State Dinner is a formal dinner held in honor of a foreign head of state. Prior to Trudeau's visit, the last Canadian prime minister to be a guest of honor at a state dinner was 19 years ago.
The two leaders traded jokes, but they did set aside time for more serious conversation. Obama and Trudeau also discussed how the countries would work together to combat climate change, in addition to improvements in trade and efforts to partner in the fight against terrorism.
Instructional Links
Primary Sources & Images: The White House, State Dinners at the White House
https://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/photogallery/state-dinners-white-house
Website Article: The White House Historical Association, The White House State Dinner
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-white-house-state-dinner
Encyclopedia Article: World Book Student, the Government of Canada
http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar090400&st=canada#tab=homepage
Website Article: BBC, Who is Justin Trudeau