President Donald Trump faced an embarrassing confrontation during his first public dinner outing in Washington, D.C., when protesters managed to get within feet of him at an upscale restaurant on Tuesday, September 10, 2025, prompting fierce criticism from his supporters over Secret Service security protocols.
The incident occurred at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, located less than a quarter mile from the White House. Trump was joined by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for what was intended to demonstrate that the capital had become safer following his deployment of National Guard officers.
Members of the Code Pink activist group disrupted the dinner by shouting slogans including “Free D.C! Free Palestine!” and “Trump is the Hitler of our time!” while the president stared at them from just feet away. The protest group had successfully reserved a table inside the restaurant and were seated near Trump’s party, catching the administration off guard.
Code Pink’s D.C. organizer, Olivia DiNucci, explained that the group had made a reservation at the restaurant pretty last-minute to confront Trump. She indicated they had not expected to encounter Trump’s entire Cabinet and were surprised to be placed so close to the presidential party in what they assumed would be a more private dining area.
The security breach prompted immediate outrage from Trump loyalists, who questioned how protesters managed to get so close to the president. Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna demanded an investigation, asking whether someone within the Secret Service had leaked Trump’s location to the protest organization.
Pro-Trump podcaster Graham Allen raised similar concerns, questioning how Code Pink knew about the location of what was not a public event and why they were allowed to shout at the president for an extended period. Far-right activist Laura Loomer escalated the criticism, suggesting the incident was so dangerous that House Speaker Mike Johnson could have ended up as president if something had happened to both Trump and Vance.
Loomer accused the Secret Service of potentially harboring sympathizers and claimed the president “could have been assassinated tonight.” She suggested the protesters could have used weapons against Trump, though no evidence of weapons or an assassination attempt emerged from the incident.
The Secret Service defended its response through a spokesperson, explaining that all restaurant guests, including the protesters, had been screened prior to the president’s arrival. The agency noted that the protesters had made a reservation to gain access and that Secret Service personnel quickly resolved the situation inside the restaurant, allowing the dinner to continue without further incident.
This security incident occurred against the backdrop of previous Secret Service failures during Trump’s presidential campaign. In July 2024, a gunman had managed to climb onto a roof and open fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, causing a minor injury to the then-candidate’s ear and prompting widespread criticism of the agency’s security protocols.
The dinner took place on the final day of Trump’s 30-day emergency order giving him control over local police officers, which was set to expire at midnight Wednesday. However, the deployment of National Guard troops from eight Republican states was expected to continue, with no indication that Trump planned to release his control over the city.
Videos of the confrontation circulated widely on social media, showing Trump walking toward the protesters and appearing to gesture for them to leave before Secret Service agents escorted the activists out of the restaurant. The incident marked Trump’s first dinner out in D.C. as president, aside from visits to his own hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue.
The restaurant, where king crab claws cost nearly $160, became an unexpected venue for political confrontation as the protest group successfully infiltrated what was meant to be a demonstration of the administration’s control over the capital city. The White House was contacted for comment regarding the incident but had not responded at the time of reporting.