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President Donald Trump dined Tuesday night at a seafood restaurant near the White House, using the outing to promote his decision to deploy the National Guard and federalize policing in the nation’s capital, even as protesters outside denounced his actions as authoritarian.
Trump’s motorcade traveled a short distance to Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab on 15th Street, where the president was greeted with cheers from supporters and chants from demonstrators opposed to his handling of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
“We’re standing right in the middle of D.C., which as you know, over the last year was a very unsafe place — over the last 20 years,” Trump told reporters before entering. “And now it’s got virtually no crime.”
The president added that just months ago, “I wouldn’t have stood out in the middle of the street.”
Protesters Confront Trump
Video posted to social media showed Trump shaking hands with diners inside the restaurant before pausing to stare at a small group of protesters holding Gaza flags and chanting, “Free D.C.! Free Palestine! Trump is the Hitler of our time!” Trump gestured toward them but did not appear to speak.
Since the White House announced the federal crackdown on Aug. 7, many restaurants and businesses in the capital have reported disruptions — with some seeing a drop in reservations amid heightened military presence. The administration says nearly 2,200 arrests have been made since the operation began.
Despite that, Trump insisted Tuesday that “restaurants are booming” and that residents are noticing “crews working to remove homeless encampments” and a sharp decline in crime.
Accompanying him for dinner were Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The rare excursion was notable given Trump’s tendency to stay inside the White House while in Washington, especially after selling the Trump International Hotel nearby.
Expanding Federal Crackdowns
The Washington operation follows Trump’s earlier deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June, which sparked clashes with local leaders and protests. He has also threatened to expand similar enforcement actions to Chicago, Baltimore and New Orleans, cities with Democratic leadership.
On Tuesday night, Trump teased an announcement “as soon as Wednesday” of another city where troops could be deployed. “The mayor of that place, as well as the governor of the state it is in, would love us to be there,” he said.
The president’s comments came days after he posted a parody image from Apocalypse Now depicting Chicago under military assault, captioned: “I love the smell of deportations in the morning.”
That post followed Trump’s executive order seeking to rename the Pentagon as the Department of War, a move requiring congressional approval.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, blasted Trump in response, calling him a “wannabe dictator” and warning that federal crackdowns are intended for political theater, not public safety.
