NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Gov. Kathy Hochul travels to Washington on Wednesday to attend an opulent White House state dinner for Japan and meet with the senior advisor to President Joe Biden.
According to Hochul’s schedule, she’ll travel from New York City, where she spoke at an event with Al Sharpton, to meet with White House senior advisor Tom Perez at 3 p.m. at the White House. It's unclear what the two will be discussing.
The governor will then attend the 6 p.m. state dinner, which America puts on to court its closest allies.
Biden is hosting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who was welcomed to Washington with a pomp-filled arrival ceremony on the White House South Lawn.
Biden and Kishida—who are both facing political headwinds at home and on the global stage—are holding Oval Office talks, including about the security situation in the Pacific.
“The unbreakable alliance between Japan and the United States is the cornerstone of peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and around the world,” Biden said.
Kishida announced Japan is giving 250 cherry trees to the U.S. to mark America's coming 250th birthday in 2026.
The Bidens hosted Kishida and his wife for dinner Tuesday evening, taking the couple to BlackSalt, a seafood restaurant in a tony neighborhood in the nation's capital. The couples also exchanged gifts.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.