State Dinner Guests (ceremonial attendees — rotating cohort)

A rotating cohort of formally invited attendees who animate White House ceremonial occasions and diplomatic receptions. They perform protocol, supply polished optics, and convert private staff manoeuvres into public momentum through measured applause, laughter, and sociability. In this episode they appear in the Oval — relaxed and convivial — sharing drinks and greeting Barry Haskel’s entrance; their convivial presence softens an otherwise coercive political moment and helps the administration turn personal embarrassment into a usable public impression. They function as social infrastructure rather than active policy actors.