A group of activists interrupted President Donald Trump's dinner at a Washington, D.C., seafood restaurant on Tuesday, chanting "Trump is the Hitler of our time" and "Free D.C.! Free Palestine!" and criticizing his foreign policy and the use of the National Guard in the city, according to video shared by the anti-war group CodePink and news reports.
Protesters confronted Trump as he entered the dining room at Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab and continued their chants as he approached his table, one demonstrator told reporters. "He’s terrorizing communities in D.C. He’s terrorizing Gaza and communities all over the world," a protester said in the footage cited by HuffPost. A group of women who had been yelling the statements exited the restaurant around 7:40 p.m. Eastern and were escorted across the street by law enforcement, a White House pool report said.
The dinner at Joe's was the first the president has had at a D.C. restaurant since his inauguration in January, CNN reported. Trump told diners they would not be mugged going home and praised what he described as a safer city under his administration's policies. Earlier in the evening, he was met with boos and a smattering of cheers as he entered the restaurant, and some diners reportedly applauded when he sat down.
Trump was joined at the dinner by administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, according to CNN. The president has frequently highlighted his approach to crime and security in Washington as central to his broader law-and-order message.
The protest at Joe's came amid renewed scrutiny of the administration's deployment of law enforcement and the National Guard in the capital. Data from OpenTable cited by HuffPost indicated that the surge in law enforcement presence coincided with a decline in dining out in the district. Activists at the restaurant directly linked their demonstration to broader foreign policy concerns, particularly actions in Gaza, and to policing tactics in D.C.
CodePink, an anti-war organization, shared video of the incident on social media. The White House pool report noted the protesters were escorted away but did not detail arrests. The confrontation is the latest instance of public pushback the president has faced at appearances and outings since taking office.
The demonstration underscores continuing tensions over the administration's domestic security measures and its foreign policy, and comes as activists and political opponents keep pressure on the White House through public protests and media campaigns.