Washington, D.C
Trump Will Remake D.C.’s Culture in His Image
The last time Donald Trump won the presidency, there was a lot crowing in Washington’s beau monde about how the new administration would upend the city’s social life. D.C. has never been a particularly friendly town, but in 2016, its residents decided to take a harder stand than usual. The capital’s hostesses linked arms against any top Trump officials seeking invitations to their homes. The region’s restaurateurs, though expected to serve everyone, vowed to make a night on the town for Republicans as unpleasant as possible. And those in chattering classes remarked with much glee that at no point in the city’s recent history had the place been so socially divided.
The result was that, rather than integrate into Washington life, as staffers and officials from every other presidential administration have, Trump’s coterie was forced to build its own parallel society. Soon, largely undeveloped neighborhoods—Navy Yard and the Wharf prominent among them—became hot spots for young staffers. And no wonder. Those places fit well with Zoomer taste: new construction, rooftop pools, parking everywhere. Meanwhile, more senior officials colonized Kalorama, on the grounds that it was just like Georgetown, but even more insulated from the hateful public eye.
Eight years later, the situation is pretty much the same. D.C. exists as two parallel societies stuck within the bounds of late 2016. On one side, the greater part of the city is trapped in an Obama-nostalgia doom loop: Le Diplomate still dominates the scene on Fourteenth Street. The establishments of Dupont Circle are still celebrating Obergefell vs. Hodges as if the decision were just handed down last week. And, in Shaw, you can still find the odd “Chicago” bar, a tribute to the 2008 Obama campaigners who have long since left the neighborhood.
The Trump version of D.C. is no more vital. Those shiny buildings on the river are still obliviously humming along, worlds unto themselves. Mission in Navy Yard is still a hot bar with a certain sort of person, despite, or because of, its vulgarity. Shelly’s Back Room over by the White House has lost none of its luster, in large part because it is one of the only places in the capital that allows the public to smoke inside. The only major change in this world’s social setting from the first Trump presidency is a loss: the Trump International Hotel, which closed down shortly after the president’s inglorious departure in 2021. I can’t say I regret it: Every time I visited in those four years—whether for a gala, dinner, or some other evening event—I was always struck by how hollow, cavernous that main hall was.
How did the city get stuck in 2016 for so long? Typically, each president makes a mark on Washington’s local culture that survives his tenure, usually in the neighborhoods where his staffers settle. Bill Clinton brought in the crew that made Adams Morgan a hip area. George W. Bush oversaw the revival of Georgetown and Glover Park. And Barack Obama’s team gentrified the historically black neighborhoods around U Street. (Obama himself liked D.C. so much that he still lives here.) Trump, as I have said, built his own fantasy version of the city.
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But something funny happened when Joe Biden took office in 2021. Rather than making his own mark on the city, here, as in so many other things, Biden was like a ghost, and the D.C. continued to function as if he were never here at all.
There are a few possible explanations for the cultural hole. The first is the fact that Biden was elected and took office during a pandemic. He famously campaigned out of his home in Delaware—where he spent much of his presidency anyway—and did not arrive in D.C. with an army of staffers looking for places to live. The second is related to the first: Hardly anyone in the federal government goes into the office anymore, meaning that there is little incentive to form a distinctively Bidenesque after-hours culture. And the third reason is the hazy temporality that surrounds all things Biden. No one was ever going to stick around for him.
Now that Trump is back for round two, everything will change. Once again, the city will renew itself. There is no stopping it now. There is no Resistance to lock the Trump administration out of polite society. For better or worse, Trump will remake Washington, D.C. in his image.
‘No Kings’ protests across DC
Thousands of people took to the streets of Washington, D.C., and across the U.S. on Saturday to protest President Donald Trump’s administration as part of massive “No Kings” protests.
WASHINGTON – Washington, D.C., and the surrounding DMV area are set to host the third major “No Kings” march and rally this Saturday, March 28, 2026, as part of a wave of nationwide demonstrations planned for the same day.
Event details:
Organized locally by area chapters of Indivisible and allied grassroots groups, the event aims to draw protesters to downtown Washington and surrounding counties to oppose policies of the Trump administration and to voice broader concerns about civil rights and democratic norms.
The march will kick off at 10 a.m., with participants gathering at Memorial Circle near Arlington Cemetery, with additional access from the Blue Line or nearby parking at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, according to the event organizers. There is no public parking in the immediate area, but participants can be dropped off at the circle.
People take part in a “No Kings” protest in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Oct. 18, 2025. (Photo by Li Rui/Xinhua via Getty Images)
From there, the procession will head across the Memorial Bridge into Washington, D.C., passing the Lincoln Memorial and continuing on to the Washington Monument.
At the conclusion of the march, participants can walk to a downtown rally, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
A broader movement
Big picture view:
A nationwide series of “No Kings” protests is set for March 28—over 3,000 events are scheduled.
These protests are organized by groups including Indivisible and the broader 50501 Movement, which have coordinated previous actions in June and October 2025 that drew millions of participants nationwide, including in Washington, D.C.
Other ‘No Kings’ rallies in the DMV
Dig deeper:
In addition to the main rally in downtown D.C., several other demonstrations tied to “No Kings 3” are scheduled around the DMV this Saturday.
In Arlington, Virginia, activists are organizing a march across the Memorial Bridge beginning at 10 a.m., with protesters expected to continue into West Potomac Park before joining larger crowds in the District proper, for example.
There are hundreds of “No Kings” events scheduled to take place this Saturday throughout the DMV. You can click here to find a list of all of them.
The Source: Information from “No Kings” organizers, Indivisible, Mobilize and previous FOX 5 DC reporting.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (FOX Carolina) – The Great Mother March has begun a 500-mile pilgrimage from Asheville, North Carolina, to Washington, D.C.
Organizers said the 32-day journey is a women’s empowerment pilgrimage inspired by the Buddhist monks’ Walk for Peace.
“This is a universal movement,” founder Whitney Freya, an artist, author and sacred activist, said. “Everyone has a mother. Every tradition reveres a Great Mother. And we all depend on Mother Earth. This march is a call to honor those truths while reminding us what is possible when we move together, with intention, hope, and love.”
The march is expected to end April 22, Earth Day, when participants reach the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
Here’s a look at the group’s route:
Organizers said the group will walk alongside the Appalachian Mountains through rural communities in North Carolina and Virginia, with planned stops including Black Mountain, Old Fort, Marion, Linville and Boone, North Carolina.
From there, the group plans to travel via Todd and West Jefferson, North Carolina, and the River Country Campground along the New River, to the Peace Pentagon near Independence, Virginia.
The marchers are expected to arrive in Galax, Virginia, on April 1, then continue to Hillsville, Floyd, Ferrum and Rocky Mount, arriving in Rocky Mount on April 5.
The group is expected to reach Lynchburg on April 9 and travel up U.S. 29 to Waynesboro, arriving April 12.
Organizers said the marchers plan to arrive in Charlottesville on April 13 and spend April 14 at IX Art Park to rest and prepare for the final leg to Washington.
From Charlottesville, the group plans overnight stops in Barboursville, Orange, Culpeper and Warrenton, Virginia, before arriving in Manassas on April 19. Additional stops include the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia, and Alexandria, Virginia, ahead of the group’s arrival in Washington on April 22.
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A U.S. Park Police officer was shot in Washington, D.C., while on duty, according to a statement from the agency.
Park Police said the officer was shot at 7:30 p.m. on Monday in Southeast Washington on Queens Stroll Pl.
The officer has been transported to a local hospital, officials said.
The circumstances of the shooting are unclear. A Park Police spokesperson told ABC News the officer has non-life-threatening injuries.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X that she has spoken to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffery Carroll and was briefed on the shooting.
“Please pray for the officer’s recovery,” the attorney general said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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