US EditionTrump orders takedown of longtime protest tent at White House
President Trump ordered removal of a tent peace vigil mistaken for homeless encampment amid public safety concerns; the vigil had been active continuously for 44 years.
- On September 5, 2025, President Donald Trump ordered the removal of a longstanding peace vigil tent outside the White House in Lafayette Square.
- This action came after Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew urged the Interior Department to assess whether the vigil was authorized and to dismantle it if found to be unlawful, citing concerns about public safety and the visual impact on the park.
- Established in the early 1980s through the efforts of William Thomas and kept active daily by a dedicated group, the vigil is acknowledged as the longest-running continuous political protest in the United States and features anti-war signage.
- Trump urged reporters to remove the vigil immediately, while Van Drew emphasized his strong support for free speech despite disapproving of the protest's messages, condemning the continuous presence of the vigil as a permanent and disruptive eyesore in the national park.
- The removal may reflect ongoing administration efforts to clear homeless encampments in Washington amid a 30-day public safety emergency, raising questions about balancing protest rights with park preservation.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Donald Trump orders 'take down' of 44-year-old peace vigil opposite White House
The White House Peace Vigil has stood near the White House since 1981, calling for global disarmament. After a reporter asked about the "eyesore" tent, Donald Trump said he will look into taking it down.
President Trump wants to abolish a peace protest that has been held continuously in front of the White House for 44 years. The White House Peace Vigil is considered the longest-running protest in the US, but Trump finds it disfiguring. At a press briefing about renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War, journalist Brian Glenn asked the president about the peace protest. As a reporter for the Trump-friendly Real America's Voice,…
Colorado Springs Gazette
Trump calls for removal of long-standing peace vigil near White House
President Donald Trump is echoing a Republican congressman in calling for the removal of a peace vigil that has been outside the White House for seven presidents. “Take it down. Take it down today,” Trump told reporters Friday at the…
Trump demands peace vigil removal near White House
President Donald Trump is echoing a Republican congressman in calling for the removal of a peace vigil that has been outside the White House for seven presidents. “Take it down. Take it down today,” Trump told reporters Friday at the White House. The peace vigil outside the White House on Sept. 5, 2025. (Naomi Lim/Washington Examiner) Trump was asked about the vigil, considered the country’s longest continuous act of political protest after it …
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