The relationship between President Trump and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene deteriorated to the point that the White House warned the Secret Service she may have alerted Code Pink protesters to his surprise dinner last fall at a Washington restaurant she had recommended, according to two people close to Trump.
The concerns arose after Trump’s Sept. 9 visit to Joe’s Seafood, when anti-war activists confronted him at the restaurant. The incident unsettled the president and prompted heightened concern inside the White House about his personal security.
Trump aides now view that night as the turning point in his relationship with Greene, who was once one of his strongest allies but has now become a critic and left Congress this week.
For her part, Greene has steadfastly denied the accusation. Any suggestion she leaked Trump’s plans was “an absolute lie, a dangerous lie. I would never do that,” she told Axios, adding that she did recommend the restaurant but had no idea Trump would go.
She added that only the restaurant and Trump aides knew about the reservation, saying: “The story you should be writing is why didn’t the Secret Service sweep the restaurant,” and ensure there were metal detectors at the door.
It’s uncertain if Greene is being investigated. The Secret Service chose not to comment, and Greene did not reply when questioned about whether agents had reached out to her.
Trump’s dinner at Joe’s, attended by Vice President JD Vance and Cabinet officials, was intended to showcase what the White House referred to as safer streets following the deployment of National Guard troops.
However, Code Pink protesters managed to get within feet of Trump’s table, chanting, “Free DC! Free Palestine! Trump is the Hitler of our time!”
The White House quickly worked to understand how the group became aware of the unannounced outing, as the press had not been informed in advance.
Trump later called for an investigation into Code Pink, stating, “They should be put in jail.”
His team met with Secret Service leaders to review the security breach and assess his safety measures.
Code Pink spokeswoman Melissa Garriga scoffed at the notion that Greene tipped off her organization to Trump’s restaurant trip. “That absolutely did not happen, to the point it is comical,” Garriga said, according to the outlet.
White House officials said they did not have direct proof but cited two factors that fueled their suspicions.
First was Greene’s role in selecting the restaurant. After recommending Joe’s, officials said, Greene repeatedly called White House staff on the day of the dinner to confirm whether Trump planned to go. According to the sources, after Trump learned of the calls, he telephoned Greene shortly before leaving the White House to confirm the visit.
Greene, who is a regular at the restaurant, did not appear while Trump was there, a detail aides said raised concerns.
The second factor was Greene’s ties to Code Pink.
White House aides pointed to her relationship with Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin, noting that the two share opposition to U.S. military aid to Ukraine and Israel. Benjamin has publicly praised Greene for opposing Trump’s bombing of Iranian nuclear sites and for calling to cut foreign aid from the Pentagon. Benjamin and other Code Pink members visited Greene after she announced in November that she would resign from Congress.
“I have enjoyed a friendship with Medea for a few years now, even though politics says that’s not allowed,” Greene said at the time.
