It was supposed to be a quiet dinner out in Washington, but Donald Trump didn’t get that. The former president was spotted at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, a well-known spot on 15th Street near the White House, joined by Vice President J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. But before long, the night turned chaotic.
Protesters reportedly gathered outside waving Palestinian flags and chanting, ‘Free D.C., free Palestine, Trump is the Hitler of our time.’ Video shows the group’s chants cutting through the restaurant noise while Trump kept talking with patrons at nearby tables, seemingly ignoring the commotion.
Vance, meanwhile, tried to play peacemaker. He stopped at a table near the protesters and told diners, “Enjoy your meals,” while demonstrators raised their voices a few feet away. Hegseth appeared more alert, frequently glancing toward the disruption.
The scene was tense. When Trump’s motorcade first pulled up to the restaurant, some people on the street cheered and clapped, but others booed loudly. Inside, demonstrators actually made it past the front door, a move that brought them surprisingly close to the former president and his team.
The chants comparing Trump to Adolf Hitler sparked anger among his supporters, while opponents cheered the bold protest. Trump himself didn’t react publicly. His camp has often portrayed these incidents as evidence of what they call a double standard, arguing that protests targeting him cross the line into disrespect.
The demonstration comes as tensions in Washington continue to rise over the Israel-Palestine conflict, with protests breaking out across the city. For Trump, who is already a lightning rod in American politics, the mix of cheers, boos, and shouts has become part of his everyday routine.
Whether this particular restaurant protest changes anything politically remains to be seen. What it does highlight is how even a steakhouse dinner just blocks from the White House has become a stage for the broader battles raging in the country.