President Donald Trump with members of his Cabinet, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in 2025 (image from White House galleries)
On Wednesday, August 20, two members of President Donald Trump's administration — Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — held a public event at Washington, DC's Union Station, including a stop at Shake Shack. And they were greeted by some very loud anti-Trump protesters.
HuffPost's Igor Bobic posted video of the protesters on X, formerly Twitter, noting, "DC police are clearing the public hallway below Vance and Hegseth’s event at Union Station The noise was clearly audible upstairs."
The protesters were voicing their opposition to Trump's decision to place the DC Metropolitan Police under federal control and deploy National Guard troops in the U.S. capital.
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Trump says his actions are necessary because of violent crime in Washington, but crime statistics show a major decrease in crime in the city. And many Washington residents view Trump's actions as heavy-handed and intrusive, not helpful.
Vance, however, claimed that Trump's policies are popular among DC residents.
In a separate tweet, Bobic reported, "Vance says National Guard members told him they are 'so happy' to be empowered on DC streets. 'Let's free DC from lawlessness,' he says, adding that 'primarily white people' are protesting his event at Union Station."
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