President Donald Trump made a rare dining excursion outside the White House on Tuesday, eating at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab in downtown Washington, where he was met by both cheering diners and protesters.
The visit came one month after Trump federalized D.C.’s police and deployed the National Guard to crack down on crime in the nation’s capital.
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump makes an unexpected appearance with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at Joe’s Seafood, a downtown Washington, D.C. restaurant, to have dinner.
He has never dined out like this before in either one of his terms. pic.twitter.com/vn9eAP5Nkx
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) September 9, 2025
Protesters Inside
Shortly after arriving, Trump was confronted by demonstrators chanting “Free D.C.,” “Free Palestine,” and “Trump is the Hitler of our time.”
Video showed the president staring down the protesters before taking his seat.
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump just stared down and MOCKED Free Palestine “protestors” who called him “HlTLER” in a DC restaurant
LMAO!
47 is UNFAZED by leftist bullsht 🤣🔥 pic.twitter.com/mvuCLmzWmN
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 10, 2025
Code Pink, an anti-war activist group, claimed credit for the demonstration.
In a video shared by the White House, Trump addressed patrons inside the restaurant.
President Trump dines at @joesstonecrab in Washington, DC tonight pic.twitter.com/INzp6sePgT
— Samantha Waldenberg (@Sam_Waldenberg) September 9, 2025
“We have a safe city. Enjoy yourselves — you won’t be mugged going home. Have a good time, everybody,” he said, before joking, “Don’t drink too much.”
Trump told reporters outside: “This is one of the most unsafe cities in the country. Now it’s as safe as it is in the country.”
Cabinet Members Join
Trump was joined by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
The White House later said the president ate crab, shrimp, salad, steak, and dessert.
During his first term, Trump mostly dined at BLT Prime, the steakhouse inside his Trump International Hotel.
Since selling the hotel, public outings in Washington have become rarer.
Trump told reporters last week he might consider visiting more restaurants now that he deems the city “safe.”
Federal Crackdown
Trump declared D.C. a “safe zone” after ordering the National Guard to patrol alongside local police on Aug. 7.
The White House says nearly 2,200 arrests have been made since the operation began.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has cooperated with the federal takeover, but Attorney General Brian Schwalb has sued, arguing soldiers should not be involved in policing.
Trump hinted Tuesday he will soon deploy federal forces to another Democratic-led city.
“We’re going to be announcing another city very shortly,” he said, suggesting local leaders there “would love us to be there.”
Over the weekend, Trump posted a parody “Apocalypse Now” meme online, warning that Chicago may be next.
