Chants of ‘Free DC, free Palestine, Trump is the Hitler of our time’ greeted US President Trump’s high-profile dinner in Washington, DC.
The incident occurred after Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio entered Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, a couple of blocks from the White House, the evening of September 9.
As Trump and his security team made their way to a table, at least three protesters stood and began chanting.
Video footage captured demonstrators shouting, “Trump, you are not welcome here,” along with, “Free DC, free Palestine, Trump is the Hitler of our time.” Several protesters waved Palestinian flags and banners as part of their protest.
Some diners cheered in Trump’s favour, shouting, “Yes he is (welcome).” The President signalled his security detail to remove the protesters, saying, “Come on, lets go, get them outta here.”
Speaking to the press, one protester said, “He is terrorising communities all over the world, from Puerto Rico from Palestine to Venezuela, he is terrorising communities. He is not welcome to DC, he is not welcome to Palestine. Palestine is not for sale. Shame on you all!”
Demonstrations continued outside the restaurant, with protesters referencing Trump’s federal intervention in the city’s police force.
PRESIDENT PRAISES NATIONAL GUARD, SAYS CITY IS SAFE
In a video shared by the White House, Trump addressed fellow diners, saying, “We have a safe city. Enjoy yourselves, you won’t be mugged going home. Don’t drink too much.”
Speaking to reporters before the dinner, he added, “I wouldn’t have done this three months ago, four months ago certainly not a year ago. This was one of the most unsafe cities in the country. Now it is as safe as it is in the country. The restaurants now are booming. People are going out to dinner where they didn’t for years, and it’s a safe city. I just want to thank the National Guard.”
This comes amid ongoing federal intervention in DC, with Mayor Muriel Bowser cooperating on certain measures while DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb has filed a lawsuit opposing armed military personnel in civilian policing. Trump praised Bowser’s collaboration, describing the city’s transformation as a “spectacular outcome.”
The US President deployed National Guard troops to crack down on crime in DC last month, following an August 3 assault on a former staffer of the Department of Government Efficiency that occurred during an attempted carjacking.
– Ends
Tune In