Pro-Palestine protesters have disrupted a dinner attended by US President Donald Trump and senior Cabinet members at a Washington, DC restaurant near the White House.
The event, which included Vice President JD Vance, Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was billed as a showcase of the administration’s crackdown on crime and an effort to highlight improvements in safety in the capital.
But activists from the anti-war group CODEPINK interrupted the gathering with chants of "Free Palestine" and "Free DC," accusing Trump of "terrorising communities in DC" and "terrorising Gaza."
Demonstrators rallied outside the restaurant while others briefly interrupted the indoor proceedings.
The dinner was a rare public outing for Trump in Washington since the start of his second term, as he has largely avoided local restaurants.
Before entering the venue, Trump credited his administration’s deployment of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops with reducing crime in the city.
"We’re going to be announcing another city that we’re going to very shortly. We’re working it out with the governor of a certain state that would love us to be there," Trump told reporters.
He suggested further announcements on federal crackdowns and troop deployments in Democratic-led cities would come "probably tomorrow."
The administration has framed its increased use of federal security forces in the capital as necessary to restore order, though local officials have pushed back, saying crime rates were already falling.
The protests highlighted tensions over US policy in the Middle East, with activists linking Trump’s domestic security agenda to Washington’s support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
The war has killed more than 64,600 Palestinians since October 2023, devastated the enclave and pushed its population into famine.
As demonstrators chanted outside the restaurant, CODEPINK leaders said the group aimed to draw attention to what they called "the inseparable link between militarised policing at home and militarised occupation abroad."
