BREAKING: Trump says D.C. restaurants are “bursting.” Reality check.
After his Aug 11 police takeover, OpenTable shows seated diners in Washington fell 16% that day, then cratered 31% by Aug 13, and were still down around 20% through Aug 16.
Restaurant Week kicked off Aug 18… pic.twitter.com/KtuMV2aYER
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) August 19, 2025
WASHINGTON — D.C. restaurants saw a more than 25% drop in diners in the days following President Donald Trump’s takeover of the city’s police department, according to a WUSA9 analysis of reservation numbers.
On Monday, the day Trump announced he would invoke the D.C. Home Rule Act and federalize the city’s police department for the first time in history, online reservations in the District dropped by 16% compared to the same date in 2024, according to data from OpenTable. On Tuesday, as the National Guard began being mobilized in the District, reservations were 27% below their 2024 levels. On Wednesday they were down 31%.