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23h ago

Trump Orders Removal of 44-Year Peace Vigil Outside White House

The directive tracks with his campaign to clear tent sites in Washington before the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Philipos Melaku-Bello, center left, and Will Rosin, center right, flash the V sign during Peace Vigil in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. The U.S. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Philipos Melaku-Bello talks to people during Peace Vigil in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Philipos Melaku-Bello flashes the V sign during Peace Vigil in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Demonstrators are seen during a Peace Vigil in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Overview

  • Trump issued the order in the Oval Office on Friday after a Real America's Voice reporter called the blue tent an eyesore, saying, "Take it down today, right now."
  • The vigil, established in 1981 in Lafayette Park and maintained around the clock by Philipos Melaku-Bello and volunteers, is widely regarded as the nation's longest continuous protest.
  • By Friday evening the structure was still standing as police spoke with demonstrators, and no agency had confirmed a formal removal action.
  • The site operates under National Park Service rules that require continuous staffing for it to qualify as a First Amendment demonstration.
  • Rep. Jeff Van Drew has urged the Interior Department to remove what he calls a 24/7 eyesore, while Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton defends the vigil as protected peaceful assembly, and Trump ties the move to broader efforts to clear D.C. tent sites.