President Donald Trump’s surprise visit to a fine dining seafood restaurant in Washington, D.C., was lampooned by hecklers and protesters as the president works to sell the notion that his federal crime crackdown has yielded a complete drop in crime and an increase in public morale, even though the city’s recent tourism data has shown less than favorable figures.
Trump, flanked by Vice President JD Vance and other cabinet officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, dined at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab less than a quarter-mile from the White House on Sept. 9.
Right before walking into the restaurant, Trump touted that D.C.’s public safety has drastically improved since he deployed National Guard troops to patrol the city’s streets.
“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, it’s been very unsafe,” Trump told reporters. “And now it’s got virtually no crime.”
As soon as he entered the restaurant and walked to his table, a crowd of protesters was there to meet him.
“Free D.C.! Free Palestine! Trump is the Hitler of our time!” they chanted.
His Tuesday visit to Joe’s Seafood also landed the restaurant in hot water among the public and attracted several negative, one-star reviews online that referenced the president.
“I heard they have roaches. Especially a big orange one,” one Google review written Tuesday evening read.
“Had a great experience and food was delicious but glad I showed up days before Trump did. Had I known this place was going to accept racist anti-Americans like Trump inside, I would have never spent my money. Never again,” another Google review read.
Trump supporters tried to offset these negative remarks with positive, five-star reviews of their own.
“Best restaurant, best president,” one five-star review read.
“A great place with wonderful food and servers!! All of the reviews in the last 24 hours are fake and extreme liberals who hate our president DJT,” another person wrote.
Yelp has since temporarily disabled reviews on its Joe’s Seafood page, noting that the increased public attention the restaurant received has drawn more opinions on the news rather than accounts of first-hand customer experiences.
Some people online shared that the restaurant should be criticized for allowing the president inside to dine.
“Yes, get them shut down and boarded up!!! Any restaurant that allows that little dictator in their place of business is in support of his jackhammer regime in this country!” one commenter wrote.
“Feed a dictator, find out,” another person commented.
Others disagreed with the intense public backlash against Joe’s.
“Not fair to them in any way!!!! No reason to revile the restaurant- they have no control over patrons!!!!” one comment read.
The federal crime intervention also triggered a downturn in tourism and public activity, which conflicts with Trump’s sentiments that the presence of thousands of federal agents is making the public feel safe.
D.C. restaurants and local tour guide companies have reported a slump in visitors.
WUSA9 reported that restaurant reservations on OpenTable have seen a drastic dip. When Trump first announced the federal takeover, there was a 16 percent decrease in restaurant diners compared to 2024. More law enforcement mobilization that same week resulted in a 31 percent drop in reservations.
Tour guides say the surge in federal policing has also impacted the final weeks of the summer tourist season.
“In August, we usually have about 80 tours booked. Right now, we’re at 40,” Christopher Dreher, owner of Tiber Creek Private Tours, told the outlet.
According to data gathered by Destination DC, the city is facing a projected 5.1 percent drop in international travel this year following a record-setting year in 2024.
