President Donald Trump faced sharp protests Tuesday evening while dining at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab in Washington, D.C. The rooftop dinner, intended to showcase improved safety under his recent law enforcement initiative, quickly became a flashpoint for dissent.
As Trump entered the upscale restaurant near the White House, a small group of Code Pink activists had already secured a last-minute reservation. A Code Pink organizer, Olivia DiNucci, later explained, “We actually had a reservation, and got it pretty last-minute, and went in.”
Once seated, the protesters unfurled Palestinian flags and began chanting inside the dining room. One protester screamed loudly, “Free D.C.! Free Palestine! Trump is the Hitler of our time!”
DiNucci recounted, “Trump looked us in the eyes and we made sure he will never dine in peace while communities are under siege.”
Code Pink claimed responsibility on social media, stating: “While Trump, JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth and others feasted at a steakhouse, we stood our ground and told them the truth: Free DC. Free Palestine. Trump is the Hitler of our time.”
President’s Response and Security Action
Trump appeared unruffled. According to a video, he smiled and nodded toward the protesters before signaling, “Come on, let’s go.” Secret Service agents then escorted the group out.
Later, Trump addressed reporters outside the restaurant and said, “We’re standing right in the middle of D.C., which, as you know, over the last year was a very unsafe place … and now it’s got virtually no crime.”
Inside, he encouraged diners, saying, “Have a good time, everybody.”
The dinner marked Trump’s first visit to a non-Trump-owned restaurant in the capital since taking office. It was clearly staged to reinforce his narrative that federalizing policing and deploying the National Guard had restored safety.
A White House spokesperson confirmed the meal included crab, shrimp, steak, salad and dessert. Trump also hinted he might expand such operations to other cities.
The restaurant outing followed massive protests earlier in the weekend. Thousands marched in the “We Are All D.C.” demonstration, calling the Guard deployment authoritarian.