By The once-close alliance between Donald Trump and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has deteriorated sharply, following White House suspicions that Greene may have tipped off anti-war activists about the president’s unannounced dinner plans last fall—prompting outreach to the U.S. Secret Service.
The rupture traces back to a chaotic September 9, 2025, visit by Trump to Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, an upscale restaurant just blocks from the White House. The outing—attended by Vice President JD Vance and several Cabinet members—was intended to spotlight the administration’s efforts to improve public safety in Washington after the deployment of National Guard troops.
Instead, the evening unraveled when protesters from Code Pink confronted the president inside the restaurant. Activists approached within feet of Trump’s table, chanting slogans including: “Free DC.! Free Palestine! Trump is the Hitler of our time!”
The disruption embarrassed the president and immediately raised alarms inside the White House about how activists learned of a private visit that had not been announced publicly and was known only to a small circle of aides.
According to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Axios, suspicion quickly focused on Greene for two reasons: she had recommended the restaurant to Trump and repeatedly contacted staff on the day of the dinner to confirm he would attend. Trump himself reportedly called her shortly before departing to reaffirm the plans. Greene—a frequent patron of the restaurant—did not appear that evening, a detail some aides viewed as unusual.
Officials also pointed to Greene’s personal relationship with Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin, noting their shared opposition to U.S. military aid for Ukraine and Israel. Greene has publicly described enjoying a friendship with Benjamin “for a few years now, even though politics says that’s not allowed.”
I’m America First and fully against funding foreign wars and support peace because that’s good for everyone especially the most innocent people, children.
I have enjoyed a friendship with Medea for a few years now even though politics says that’s not allowed.
I’ve learned to… https://t.co/LpPjouguXq
— Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) December 11, 2025
The war in Ukraine must END!
Today, I met brave @codepink activists who protested for peace in Bernie Sanders’ office. He had 11 of them arrested!
Peace & free speech shouldn’t be a partisan issue.
We don’t agree on most things, but we do agree Congress should STOP fueling the… pic.twitter.com/uFzenFyMNn
— Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) October 4, 2023
A Code Pink spokesperson rejected any suggestion of Greene’s involvement. “That absolutely did not happen, to the point it is comical,” said Melissa Garriga.
Greene, who resigned her congressional seat earlier this week on January 5, 2026, has forcefully denied the allegations. Responding to the reporting, she said “any suggestion she revealed Trump’s dinner plans was ‘an absolute lie, a dangerous lie. I would never do that.’”
She acknowledged recommending the restaurant but said she “didn’t know when he would go there,” adding: “Only the fancy lobbyist hangout — a few blocks from the White House, at 15th and H NW — and Trump aides knew of the reservation.” Greene further argued, “The story you should be writing is why didn’t the Secret Service sweep the restaurant,” and have metal detectors at the door?
Last month the former congresswoman attacked Trump, saying, “I think the midterms are going to be very hard for Republicans. I’m one of the people that’s willing to admit the truth and say I don’t see Republicans winning the midterms right now.”
She has since gotten glowing profiles from several liberal outlets.
An Axios report that first detailed the White House’s outreach to the Secret Service described the Joe’s Seafood episode as a “point of no return” in the Trump-Greene relationship. The alliance had already begun fraying earlier in 2025, after Trump shared polling data suggesting Greene would struggle in a potential Senate race against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff. Greene later issued public criticisms of Trump’s foreign policy and other issues.
Trump has since withdrawn political support for Greene and privately expressed frustration over her shifting positions, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Secret Service has declined to comment on whether any investigation involving Greene is underway. As Trump’s second term advances, the episode underscores widening fractures among former allies once central to his political coalition.
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