“We’re standing right in the middle of DC,” Trump told reporters before going into the restaurant.
“This was one of the most unsafe cities in the country. Now it’s as safe as anywhere in the country.”
Trump remains deeply unpopular in Washington, and videos of the protesters confronting the President quickly ricocheted across social media.
A close confrontation with protesters is a relatively rare occurrence for Trump since taking office, as he has spent most of his time at the White House or at his private clubs in Florida, Virginia or New Jersey.
He has recently seemed more willing to step out in public.
On Monday, he attended the men’s final of the US Open in New York, where he drew boos and some cheers.
On Friday, he plans to attend the Yankees game in New York on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
It was Trump’s first meal at a Washington restaurant since returning to the White House in January.
During his first term, the President was a regular visitor to the Trump International Hotel, just down the street from the White House, but that hotel closed in 2022.
Today Trump was joined by Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth and a number of other top White House officials.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said Trump and his aides ate crab, shrimp, salad, steak, and dessert.
“The food was phenomenal, and the service was fantastic,” Leavitt said.
The President deployed the National Guard to Washington last month as part of an effort to reduce crime, even though crime had been falling in the city.
The White House has eagerly touted the number of arrests since Trump declared a crime emergency, although many of the arrests have been for minor offences. The US Attorney’s office in Washington has had to downgrade or dismiss a number of cases after failing to secure indictments from grand juries.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Written by: Tyler Pager
Photographs by: Doug Mills
©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
