Trump’s DC dinner disrupted as pro-Palestinian protesters call him ‘Hitler of our time’

WASHINGTON, DC: Viral videos captured the chaos on Tuesday night, September 9, as protesters booed, chanted, and disrupted President Donald Trump while he dined at Joe’s Seafood near the White House.

Surrounded by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Trump’s visit quickly descended into chaos as demonstrators made their presence, and their message, loud and clear. Read on to see what was shouted, who was protesting, and how Trump responded as the night unfolded.

How did protesters react when Trump stepped in to dine at the restaurant?

As President Donald Trump stepped out of his presidential limo outside Joe’s Seafood near the White House, he was immediately met with boos, middle fingers, and at least one shouted profanity. Sarcastic laughter echoed from nearby onlookers. 

The heckling didn’t stop there. As Trump walked into the restaurant, some in the crowd clapped and cheered, while others continued shouting at him. In response, Trump quipped, “We have a safe city. Enjoy yourselves — you won’t be mugged going home. Have a good time, everybody. Don’t drink too much.”

Inside the restaurant, the tension escalated. According to a video posted on social media by journalist Prem Thakker of Zeteo, protesters infiltrated the dining area and began chanting loudly: “They feast while Gaza starves, Free DC, Free Palestine, Trump is the Hitler of our time!”

As Trump made his way toward a table, he briefly turned to face the camera, appearing more amused than irritated. After a moment, he motioned to security and said, “Come on.” A man nearby told the protesters, “Time to go, time to go.” Security began escorting the group out, but the chanting continued.

The disruption came amid Trump’s ongoing military clampdown in the nation’s capital, which includes a National Guard presence and a surge in federal law enforcement. As the protesters were being removed, one shouted, “He’s not welcome in DC!”

Others voiced similar sentiments, yelling: “What do you want your legacy to be? He terrorized the community in DC. He’s terrorizing Gaza and communities all over the world. Time to go to Puerto Rico, to the Philippines!”

Despite efforts by security to quiet the scene, the group continued their chants: “Free DC, Free Palestine, Trump is the Hitler of our time.”  

Who protested against Trump at Joe’s Seafood restaurant?

Following the protest, Code Pink cofounder Medea Benjamin confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that activists from the group were responsible for disrupting President Trump’s dinner at Joe’s Seafood restaurant.

For context, Code Pink: Women for Peace is a feminist, anti-war organization founded in 2002 in opposition to US military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. The group is widely recognized for its vocal protests against American foreign policy and its advocacy for Palestinian rights.

Benjamin posted a video of the restaurant protest to X, capturing the full scene of the disruption. In the caption, she echoed the protesters’ message, writing, “CODEPINK activists disrupted Trump, Vance, Hegseth, Rubio, and other cabinet members’ dinner They feast while Gaza starves. Trump is the Hitler of our time. Free DC. Free Palestine! Stop terrorizing communities all over the world!!"

CODEPINK’s DC organizer Olivia DiNucci explained, "While Trump, JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, and others feasted at a steakhouse, we stood our ground and told them the truth." She added, "Two years into genocide, Gaza is under evacuation orders, Puerto Rico and Venezuela are in the crosshairs, and the Pentagon proudly calls itself the Department of War. Trump looked us in the eyes, and we made sure he would never dine in peace while communities are under siege."   

Internet reacts after protesters disrupt Trump's dinner outing

As videos of Trump being booed and disrupted during a dinner outing with his cabinet members went viral, internet users quickly took to social media to share their reactions.

One Trump supporter slammed, "Code Pink has never accomplished anything of value. They are just rude and annoying, like undisciplined children. No one takes them seriously."

An X user wrote, "You are the worst monster, backed by evil man, parading a gang of violent buffoons."

One more commenter said, "Anyone can be rude and annoying. Pink has never accomplished anything. They get on people’s faces and cry about thing they really don’t understand."

Another X user shared, "All these people saying free DC, but then comparing Trump to Hitler. What do you think Hitler was trying to do in Germany?"

One user noticed, "he's rattled. you can see it in his eyes."

Another person speculated, "Is it me or did the agents kind of take their sweet time? And how did they get their tables so close to where Trump was sitting? This was definitely some sort of inside job and I’m all for it!"

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.