WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s rare outing to a local restaurant Tuesday night got off to a rocky start when he came face to face with protesters.
Trump, accompanied by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other administration officials, arrived by motorcade at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab less than a quarter-mile from the White House.
Trump briefly spoke to reporters on the street outside the restaurant, where he was met with cheers and some chants of “free Palestine.”
Once he was inside, as he greeted restaurant patrons, a group of protesters holding Palestinian flags began chanting, “Free D.C., free Palestine, Trump is the Hitler of our time.”
The activist group Code Pink claimed credit for the protests. In a video on its social media accounts, Trump is seen approaching the protesters before he stands in front of them and smiles. He then gestures for them to leave, and they are escorted out of the restaurant as a protester says, “He’s terrorizing communities in D.C.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the interaction.
Trump has claimed recently that D.C. restaurant attendance has increased amid his crackdown on crime in Washington, which has included a surge in federal law enforcement and the deployment of armed National Guard troops. Before he entered the restaurant, Trump said that the city was now “crime free” and that he will announce a similar crackdown in a new city as soon as Wednesday.
“We wanted to take some of the members of the Cabinet out to dinner, and here we are — we’re standing right in the middle of D.C., which, as you know about, over the last year was a very unsafe place, over the last 20 years actually was very unsafe. And now there’s virtually no crime. We call it crime-free,” Trump told reporters.
The restaurant appearance came a few days after a reporter asked Trump whether he would dine out in D.C., noting that he had not gone to a restaurant during either of his terms as president, though he regularly ate at Trump International Hotel during his first four years in office.
In response, Trump said, “I might,” and then asked the reporter, “Do you want me to prove you wrong?”
Joe’s Stone Crab, which was first opened in Miami Beach, Florida, has locations in Miami, Chicago, Las Vegas and Washington, featuring crab dishes that exceed $100.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed what the group ordered Tuesday night.
“The President and his team enjoyed crab, shrimp, salad, steak, and dessert. The food was phenomenal and the service was fantastic. Thank you, Joe’s!” Leavitt said in a statement.
