Following Donald Trump's recognition as TIME 2024 Person of the Year, some Washington, D.C., food service employees have voiced their intentions to protest members of the incoming Trump administration. These individuals, including bartenders and servers, shared their plans with the Washingtonian, citing acts of resistance as a matter of conscience in the predominantly progressive city.
One bartender, identified as Nancy, suggested tactics like delaying food service. She expressed a willingness to resign if compelled to serve specific officials. Another employee, a host, mentioned plans to strategically assign undesirable tables to Trump administration members. Zac Hoffman, a restaurant veteran now managing at the National Democratic Club, made controversial comments about potential confrontations with officials dining out. However, Le Diplomate, the restaurant Hoffman referenced, has strongly disavowed his views, emphasizing their commitment to providing a welcoming environment for patrons of all political affiliations.
Suzannah Van Rooy, formerly a server at Beuchert’s Saloon, expressed her intention to refuse service to officials whose moral stances clashed with her own. Following her public statements, the restaurant announced her termination.
Not all employees share these sentiments. A bartender named Joseph, while acknowledging his disappointment with the election results, anticipates improved earnings due to the perceived higher tipping habits of Republican patrons.
These expressions of protest recall similar incidents during Trump's first term. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, then White House press secretary, was asked to leave a Virginia restaurant in 2018. That same year, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen faced harassment at a D.C. restaurant. Senator Ted Cruz and his wife were also targeted by protesters at a D.C. establishment. Following these events, Rep. Maxine Waters encouraged pushback against the Trump administration, though she later retracted her remarks.
