President Donald Trump’s surprise dinner outing in Washington, D.C. Tuesday night quickly turned into a chaotic spectacle as protesters lined the streets to blast the two-term president with chants, boos, and accusations of fascism.
It was Trump’s first time dining at a local D.C. restaurant since taking office—ever. Until now, he’d only set foot in one D.C. dining establishment: the restaurant inside his own Pennsylvania Avenue hotel. But this time, Trump, accompanied by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, ventured out to Joe’s Seafood, a swanky surf-and-turf spot just blocks from the White House.
Trump framed the dinner as a symbol of a new, safer capital city. “The restaurants now are booming. People are going out to dinner where they didn’t go out for years, and it’s a safe city,” he told reporters as he stepped inside. “We have a capital that’s very, very safe right now.”
Not everyone agreed.
Outside, a crowd of protesters clashed with supporters. Cellphone footage from The Washingtonian captured a noisy mix of cheers and jeers as Trump made his way through the crowd. But things escalated fast. Another video, aired on CNN, showed demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and yelling, “Free D.C., free Palestine, Trump is the Hitler of our time.”
Inside the restaurant, Trump paused and appeared to glare at the hecklers through the windows. Vance, Rubio, and Hegseth said nothing, standing quietly beside him. Trump didn’t respond to the crowd—but he didn’t need to. The scene spoke for itself.
The protest was loud, angry, and impossible to ignore.
Later, a White House video showed Trump addressing diners at Joe’s with a mix of bravado and bravado-lite humor. “We have a safe city. Enjoy yourselves — you won’t be mugged going home,“ he said to a round of laughter and applause. “Have a good time, everybody.”
It wasn’t lost on anyone that this whole thing looked like a clapback.
Just a week earlier, Trump had gotten visibly annoyed when a reporter at the White House pointed out that he had never been seen dining at a D.C. restaurant during either of his terms.
“You haven’t gone to one (restaurant) in either of your terms that wasn’t—” the reporter began.
“How do you know?” Trump snapped, twice. “Do you want me to prove you wrong?”
“I think it’s something we could consider doing,” he added. “Love to do it. I love the White House food, but after a while, I could see going to a nice restaurant. It’s safe.”
So Tuesday night’s dinner appeared to be more than just a meal — it was a calculated message. Trump wants voters to believe that under his leadership, D.C. is under control. But the protesters made clear: not everyone agrees.
Protesters inside and outside the restaurant hurled accusations at the president, calling him a fascist and equating him to Adolf Hitler. “Trump is Hitler” echoed through Joe’s Stone Crab while secret service tried to hold back the growing crowd. At one point, Trump paused, cocked his head toward the protesters, seemingly unfazed, maybe even amused. No response was captured on audio.
But the political noise didn’t stop at the door.
Outside, Trump briefly addressed reporters on several hot-button issues, including the recent Israeli bombing campaign in Doha, Qatar, and a viral letter allegedly signed by him to Jeffrey Epstein.
“That’s not my signature, not the way I speak,” Trump said.
For all Trump’s attempts to control the narrative, it was the street that told the real story. The flags, the chants, the fury outside — a loud reminder that while Trump may be back in Washington, he’s far from welcome everywhere.
Watch the video below:
🚨 BREAKING: A “Free Palestine” protester shouted “Trump is Hitler” at the President as he entered Joe’s Seafood in D.C. Trump stared the protester down and appeared to mock them before walking inside. pic.twitter.com/xSpbuD6O0d
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) September 10, 2025
