Activists from the anti-war group CodePink confronted President Donald Trump during his visit to Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab in Washington, D.C., protesting the ongoing use of federal law enforcement and the National Guard in the nation’s capital, as well as the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
As Trump entered the 15th Street Corridor restaurant, with Vice President JD Vance, Secretaries Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth, and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, a woman screamed, “You’re not welcome here!”
Another woman yelled back, “Yes, he is!” A third woman shouted, “We love you, President Trump.”
Four women made up the small group of protesters. Two held Palestinian flags and stood just feet away from the president. Several of them were later identified as supporters of the anti-war group CodePink. They chanted, “Free D.C., Free Palestine.”
President Donald Trump waves as he leaves from the Joe’s Seafood restaurant near the White House after dinner, in Washington, D.C., Sept. 9, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
As the group continued to heckle, Trump held out his arm and waved to the Secret Service in their direction before saying, “Come on, let’s go.”
A moment later, demonstrators were moved as Vance took his seat in the middle of a large dinner table in one of the restaurant’s dining halls.
While slowly being escorted out, the women continued to heckle Trump and members of his Cabinet, calling out toward the president.
The rare visit by Trump to dine at a D.C. restaurant came amid the ongoing federal use of law enforcement in the city, which administration officials said has reduced crime. Days earlier, when asked by a reporter if he would dine in the District, Trump responded he might.
Joe’s Stone Crab, known locally as Joe’s, has become a popular dining spot across the aisle in the District. The restaurant, which opened in 2014, seats about 450 to 500 guests and regularly hosts dignitaries, celebrities, and politicians, as well as tourists and locals. It is an offshoot of the original Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami, founded in 1913.
“You should be ashamed he was welcomed here, he’s terrorizing communities in D.C.,” one protester yelled. Secretary Rubio appeared to respond, saying, “Bye.”
Several restaurant guests booed the demonstrators as they were guided out of the building.
CodePink’s D.C. organizer, Olivia DiNucci, said in a statement, “Trump looked us in the eyes, and we made sure he would never dine in peace while communities are under siege.”
-ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson