United States: President Donald Trump dined Tuesday evening at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, just a short ride from the White House, using the outing to highlight his recent decision to federalize police forces and deploy the National Guard in Washington DC.
His motorcade drew both cheers and boos as it pulled up, with supporters applauding and protesters chanting against the US backing of Israel in its war with Hamas. Inside, video clips on social media showed Trump greeting diners, though his attention was soon drawn to a small group of protesters waving Palestinian flags and shouting, “Free DC! Free Palestine! Trump is the Hitler of our time!”
Trump moved closer to the demonstrators but did not speak. He signaled for the group to be removed, and Secret Service agents escorted them out as other patrons shouted either “U-S-A!” or booed. The activist group Codepink later said it had organized the protest, according to CBS News.
The president insisted to reporters that crime in Washington had fallen dramatically since his federal crackdown began on August 7. He claimed residents were once afraid to go out but now felt safe again, adding that restaurants were “booming.” Local businesses, however, have reported drops in reservations as protests and a heavy police and military presence have rattled neighborhoods.
Trump was joined at dinner by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Leavitt later told reporters that Trump’s meal included crab, shrimp, steak, salad, and dessert.
The dinner stood out, as Trump rarely eats outside the White House when in Washington, particularly since selling his nearby hotel, which once served as a hub for allies and administration officials.
The White House also reported Tuesday that nearly 2,200 arrests have been made in DC since the start of the crackdown. Trump has already deployed the National Guard in Los Angeles and warned that other cities, including Baltimore, New Orleans, and Chicago, could be next, as reported by CBS News.
On social media, he teased Chicago operations with a parody image inspired by Apocalypse Now, captioned, “I love the smell of deportations in the morning. Chicago is about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.”
Trump recently signed an executive order to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War, a move requiring congressional approval. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, responding to the Chicago comments, branded Trump a “wannabe dictator,” joining other state and city leaders in condemning the proposed crackdown as unnecessary and dangerous.