In yet another frantic attempt to target the Trump administration, New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker seized on a local news story to challenge President Donald Trump’s claim that his militarized actions in Washington, D.C., made people feel safer dining out — insisting instead that restaurant traffic had actually declined.
One problem: the story was updated only hours later to reflect that there has been an upsurge in dining out in the city.
Referring to an article from WUSA 9, Baker stated, “Restaurants in DC have seen the number of diners plummet more than 25% since he sent feds into the street.”
Trump claims his militarized takeover of DC has made people feel safer to go out to restaurants, but in fact restaurants in DC have seen the number of diners plummet more than 25% since he sent feds into the street. @JordanOnRecord https://t.co/Xhlkwlmdly
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) August 19, 2025
The author of the article, Jordan Fischer, had initially tweeted, “Reservations at D.C. restaurants dropped 16% YoY the day Trump announced his police takeover. The next day, 27%. By Day 3 they were down 31% compared to 2024. It couldn’t come at a worse time. D.C. Summer Restaurant Week starts… tomorrow.”
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But roughly three hours later, he updated the information by admitting, “UPDATE: A big show of support for the city’s restaurant industry on Monday. Reservations were up 29% YoY as the city kicked off its annual Summer Restaurant Week. The WH is claiming vindication after owners said the takeover hurt business.”
UPDATE: A big show of support for the city’s restaurant industry on Monday.
Reservations were up 29% YoY as the city kicked off its annual Summer Restaurant Week. The WH is claiming vindication after owners said the takeover hurt business. https://t.co/hX9VWfbHMt
— Jordan Fischer (@JordanOnRecord) August 19, 2025
The updated article, titled, “’Diners are showing up for the District’ – Restaurant reservations rally as DC Summer Restaurant Week kicks off amid federal takeover,” stated that since Trump announced he would invoke the D.C. Home Rule Act and temporarily federalized the city’s police department, “At the same time, dining and bar attendance also dropped in the city, according to interviews conducted by WUSA9 and data from the website OpenTable. Year-over-year, reservations were down over the whole week by roughly 24% on average. … Restaurant and bar owners WUSA9 spoke with this weekend said it’s clear to them the federal takeover has hurt their business.”
But the article also pointed out that “Summer Restaurant Week,” an annual event sponsored by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW), started one week later than it had in 2024. “According to OpenTable, this year’s event saw a strong opening day – reservations were up 29% year-over-year compared to the same date in 2024,” the article acknowledged.
The article he linked to was updated and now says the opposite. Hilarious. NYT, what an institution. https://t.co/d5tGHtQsjK
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) August 20, 2025
Last week, Baker ripped President Trump for his efforts to clean up crime in Washington, D.C., prompting Grabien founder Tom Elliott to spearhead an effort to raise funds challenging Baker to walk the streets of D.C. at night — unarmed.
Baker posted the following statements on X: “Citing a nonexistent crime crisis, Trump plans to take over the Washington DC police and put troops in the streets of the nation’s capital. Contrary to his claims, violent crime in DC is at a 30-year low. The worst single-day crime spree in modern Washington history, of course, took place on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump issued no order to the National Guard to intervene — Mike Pence did — and later pardoned the perpetrators. Trump himself has been convicted of 34 felonies and is the first criminal elected president.”
Elliott fired back on X, “I’ll personally pledge $300 for Peter to livestream himself walking the following route, unarmed, after 9 PM on any weekend night.”
An hour later, he updated the challenge, noting, “Hi @peterbakernyt , we’re already up to more than a thousand dollars to a charity of your choice!”
Elliott created a GoFundMe page for the effort, writing:
We’re inviting New York Times reporter Peter Baker — who assures us the streets are safer than Disneyland — to take a scenic, unarmed stroll through the nation’s capital after 9 PM on a weekend night. The route? A lovingly curated “Trail of Fun” (see map) weaving through some of DC’s most “charming” neighborhoods. No security detail. No pepper spray. Just pure, unfiltered utopia.
But wait, there’s more! I’ll double my pledge if Peter sends his wife in his place. Because what better way to showcase safety than letting your loved ones experience it first-hand?
Elliott added more incentives:
I’ve personally pledged $300 to kick things off, and many others have already offered to join in. The more we raise, the more irresistible this opportunity becomes:
$500 — Peter gets a GoPro for crystal-clear night footage.
$1,000 — Matching “D.C.: Safest Streets in America” T-shirts for him and his cameraman.
$2,500 — We’ll buy him some gold chains so he walks in style
$5,000+ — The walk expands to two nights: one weekend night and one weeknight (for “scientific comparison”).
Every single dollar will be donated to the charity of Peter’s choice — so not only will this prove the streets are perfectly safe, it will also support a good cause. If Peter declines, we’ll select another high-profile believer in the “no crime crisis” narrative to take his place.
RELATED: NYT Chief White House Reporter Challenged To Walk D.C. At Night After Mocking Trump