President Donald Trump’s bid to showcase that Washington is “safe” enough for him to dine out ended in a din of boos and chants Tuesday night, as protesters swarmed his high-profile meal just one block from the White House.
Trump arrived at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab on Sept. 9 with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It was an unusually public dinner for a president who rarely eats out in the capital during his second term, opting instead to visit his own hotels or remaining at the White House.
Reporters were summoned to hear Trump argue that the turnaround under his National Guard–backed crime crackdown has made D.C. “virtually crime-free” and prove that the city is open for business again.
“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,” Trump told reporters gathered outside, according to The Washington Post. “And now it’s got virtually no crime.”
But the scene at Joe’s undercut Trump’s victory lap. Diners and onlookers booed as the motorcade arrived, and protesters inside unfurled signs and shouted before being escorted out.
Protesters mixed opposition to the Guard deployment with criticism of the administration’s foreign policy, shouting lines including “Free D.C.! Free Palestine!” and “Trump is the H*tler of our time,” videos posted to social media show.
One video clip of Trump appearing visibly annoyed by the disturbance was especially rewarding for viewers. A clip uploaded to Threads read, “Trump’s face when he’s met with opposition is just golden. He crumbles under the pressure, he hates being questioned.”
The post quickly went viral, with over 6,000 likes and 500 comments and growing.
“He looks extremely pissed off. I hope it ruined his evening,” said Maggie Eric.
Some viewers were convinced Trump was caught off guard by the protest. “He was smiling until he realized what they were saying,” said Antahades.
Another added, “It took him a minute to realize they weren’t idolizing him. Then the light came on.” One noted that Trump “looked scared.”
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“To me it looked like he almost wanted to do his empty brain dance because I dont think he heard what they said at first….once he understood, thats when he made the get out gesture…..!” another surmised.
“He looked super pissed when his head was tilting. His little hands were flapping. He definitely heard them,” Maggie Eric replied with the follow-up.
Other clips show Trump staring down the protesters who are just a few feet away from him inside the restaurant.
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Trump used the moment to announce the expansion of the National Guard to another city where he says government officials may welcome him with open arms.
“We’re going to be announcing another city that we’re going to very shortly” adding that the mayor of that city and the governor of the state “would love us to be there,” reported AP.
Trump’s visit was due in part to prove reporters and others wrong who called out his penchant for staying within the White House walls to dine. When asked about it in the Oval Office last week, Trump responded, “Do you want me to prove you wrong?”
“I think it’s something we could consider doing. I’d love to do it,” he said. “I love the White House food, but after a while, I could see going to a nice restaurant. It’s safe.”
The White House claims nearly 2,200 arrests were made since the Washington crackdown on Aug. 7. However, local businesses are feeling the sting. “This is our pandemic 2.0,” said CEO of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington to Axios. And according to online reservation platform OpenTable, reservations were down 20 percent in the city since Aug. 16.
“It’s never been more important for the Administration to recognize the important role restaurants and bars play in communities across the country,” said the Executive Director of the Independent Restaurant Coalition in a statement obtained by CNN. “The reality on the ground is tough. Reservations are down nationwide, costs remain high, and too many independent restaurants are operating on razor-thin margins.”
