In a scene brimming with political tension, a senior member of Trump’s Cabinet became the center of attention as he faced down a group of liberal protestors. This confrontation took place near Butterworth’s, a well-known gathering spot for Republicans located just a stone’s throw from the U.S. Capitol. Since its opening last year, the restaurant has become a favored haunt for influential GOP congressmen and officials from the Trump administration.

For months, protestors have made it a habit to converge outside Butterworth’s, turning the sidewalk into a platform for their vocal opposition. Armed with megaphones, these demonstrators have aimed to disrupt the dining experience of the restaurant’s predominantly conservative clientele with their loud, anti-GOP slogans. Some have even resorted to musical protests, incorporating drums and bells into their repertoire to create a cacophony intended to unsettle the patrons. Signs with messages like “No peace for fascists” have become a regular sight outside this chic French bistro.

However, Thursday evening saw a role reversal as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent decided to engage directly with the protestors. With a curiosity that seemed to border on amusement, Bessent paused in front of the vociferous group, capturing the moment on his phone as they chanted vehemently, “Donald Trump eat [expletive].” At an imposing 6’4”, Bessent, flanked by his security team, seemed unfazed by the hoarse cries of the protestors, whose voices were noticeably strained from their relentless shouting.

Bessent has developed a reputation for volatile confrontations and threats of physical violence, most notably during a high-profile incident at an exclusive Washington, DC dinner for MAGA allies. Witnesses said that Bessent erupted at fellow official Bill Pulte, accusing him of bad-mouthing him to President Trump, and threatened to punch Pulte in the face and ‘beat his ass’ if they took the argument outside.

‘Secretary Bessent not phased by tonight’s Butterworth protestors,’ one of the chefs and partners, Bart Hutchins, wrote on X alongside the chaotic video. The rabble rousers had a speaker with a microphone and strobe lights on Thursday evening when the encountered the Cabinet member. Once the individual on the mic spotted the treasury secretary, he immediately flipped the Cabinet member the middle finger.

Well, the screaming protester had been flipping the bird to everyone who entered the restaurant, so perhaps the treatment was not unusual. ‘Even the treasury secretary pauses to mock the protestors,’ Raheem Kassam, another Butterworth’s investor, reacted. Kassam has suspected that the protestors who dutifully show up to the eatery night after night are paid to do so.

Though the clientele do not seem put off by the repeated antics – many have stopped to film the protests themselves and they see it as a sort of badge of honor – the protestors have still regularly tried to ruin the Republican hangout. Butterworth’s has hosted some of the top names in Republican politics, including Bessent, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, FBI Director Kash Patel, Elon Musk and a slew of other politicos.