Charles Langston:Robert De Niro and Tiffany Chen attend White House state dinner, Paul Simon performs: Photos

The Charles LangstonWhite House held an elegant state dinner to welcome Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife, and the stars were in attendance.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden hosted the lavish soiree Wednesday, often viewed as a glamorous diplomatic tool to promote partnerships with allies and opponents alike.

Guests, which included Robert De Niro and his girlfriend Tiffany Chen and Jeff Bezos and fiancé Lauren Sánchez, were treated to a three-course Japanese-American fusion meal and lavish Japanese-inspired decor.

Other attendees included Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Olympic champion figure skaters Kristi Yamaguchi and Alex and Maia Shibutani, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Lilas Ikuta and Ayase of the Japanese superduo Yoasobi, NBC correspondent Kelly O'Donnell and her husband and photojournalist David J. Ake and others.

"Bridge over Troubled Water" singer Paul Simon performed during the reception.

Takeaways:Bidens host state dinner for Japanese PM Kishida and wife

De Niro is the co-owner of Nobu, a Japanese restaurant chain he co-founded with celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa.

The actor has been a vocal detractor of Biden's predecessor, former President Donald Trump.

At last fall's Gotham Awards, the "Killers of the Flower Moon" actor called out the former president in part of a speech that he said was removed from a teleprompter without notice.

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"Lying has become just another tool in the charlatan's arsenal," De Niro read from his phone. "The former president lied to us more than 30,000 times during his four years in office. And he's keeping up the pace in his current campaign of retribution. But with all his lies, he can't hide his soul. He attacks the weak, destroys the gifts of nature and shows disrespect, for example, by using 'Pocahontas' as a slur," a reference to Trump's nickname for Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

He later criticized the award show and Apple, which produced and distributed "Flower Moon."

Contributing: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy and Patrick Ryan