How is a meeting between a foreign leader and the President of the United States arranged?
The President, working with the White House staff, schedules meetings with foreign chiefs of state and heads of government. The country’s Ambassador in Washington, D.C. works with the President’s National Security Advisor and his staff to set a date. When the date is set, the Office of the Chief of Protocol coordinates with the foreign Ambassador to the United States and the American Embassy overseas to make all of the arrangements from arrival through departure. The Office of the Chief of Protocol coordinates approximately 350 visits per year by foreign leaders, foreign ministers and other high-ranking foreign dignitaries to Washington, D.C.
