Article snippet: Pageantry and politics mix at the White House at those most festive of evenings when the president rolls out the red carpet to host a foreign head of state at the presidential mansion for an official state dinner. But in a break with precedent, the Trump White House has yet to utilize the power of the Oval Office to its full social and diplomatic advantage by feting a foreign leader with the honor of a state dinner. Almost every other president in the last century hosted at least one such affair during the first years of their presidency — the trend remaining unbroken until now in presidential history as far back as Herbert Hoover’s presidency. The formal dinners, which are part of a larger affair of an official state visit, provide the president with a powerful opportunity to do the business of diplomacy complimented with the flourishes and flattery of hosting an allied leader to a grand social affair. “It is an event that also showcases global power and influence,” according to the White House Historical Association. “The traditional toasts exchanged by the two leaders at the dinner offer an important and appropriate platform for the continuation of the serious dialogue that has taken place earlier in the day.” President Barack Obama first rolled out the red carpet for Bill Clinton hosted South Korea’s President Kim Young-sam - all in their first years in the White House. But even though President Trump has welcomed more than 35 heads of state a... Link to the full article to read more