First ladies Jill Biden and Brigitte Macron twinned during a dinner date in Italy ahead of the 2021 G20 Rome summit on Friday, Oct. 29. The First Lady of the United States, 70, met with the First Lady of France, 68, wife of French president Emmanuel Macron, at Il Marchese in Rome for some wine and Italian delicacies. Both women wore matching black skirt suits with navy accessories, including a shawl and a clutch purse.
Biden told reporters the meeting was “wonderful” as she exited the restaurant on Friday, according to PEOPLE. “We’ve come here so many times,” the first lady told the press. “I love Italy. Brigitte loves Italy. Who would not love Italy? There’s nothing that we couldn’t love about it, right?” Biden said that she and the First Lady of France are like “two friends together, just like sisters.” A Biden spokesperson told reporters that the meeting was “warm” and the “sisters” enjoyed white wine.
While the women dined, their husbands had their own meeting. President Joe Biden met with Macron at the French embassy in Rome ahead of the summit this weekend. Scheduled for October 30 and October 31, the 2021 G20 Rome summit will mark the first in-person gathering between world leaders since the start of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic early last year. The summit gathers several countries for a forum on international economic cooperation.
Global economic recovery, supply chain problems, and climate change will be among the topics addressed in the capital of Italy this weekend. Ahead of Dr. Biden’s dinner at Il Marchese, she and the president paid a visit to Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday, discussing serious topics that pertain to the current state of the world, but also exchanging silly pleasantries. Both the president and the Pope joked about whiskey.
During their meeting, the president gifted the Pope a sentimental military coin given to “warriors and leaders,” telling the sovereign of the Vatican, “You are the most significant warrior for peace I’ve ever met.” Biden then joked, according to CNN, “Now the tradition is, I’m only kidding about this, the next time I see you, if you don’t have it you have to buy the drinks. I’m the only Irishman you’ve ever met who’s never had a drink.” The Pope then quipped that “Irish people love whiskey.”