Trump Removes Decades-Old Blue Tent in Front of White House, Citing ‘Communist Cause’

The action comes amid the administration’s initiative to clean up the capital.

White House Peace Vigil tent is seen in Lafayatte Park across the street from the White House in Washington on Sept. 5, 2025. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo

Law enforcement officials on Sept. 7 removed a blue tent outside the White House under the order of President Donald Trump, who alleged that the tent was linked to the “communist cause.”

The blue tent marks a 44-year-long protest against nuclear weaponry, started by activist William Thomas in 1981 on Lafayette Square.

At a nearby red umbrella tent, which was still there on Monday, a handful of individuals played the Chinese anthem.

“We got it down very quickly. It’s down,” Trump said in a speech at the Museum of the Bible, adding that the removal “wasn’t easy” and that “people chained themselves to a tree.”

“All the tents, somehow these people were very well connected with the communist cause.”

The dismantling of the tent comes amid the administration’s initiative to purge the capital of homeless encampments and fight crime. Federal forces have made over 2,000 arrests since taking over the D.C. policing last month in the effort to clean up the district, FBI Director Kash Patel said on Sept. 8.

“We had over 58 tent cities that we took down right in the middle of our parks, right next to our great building Supreme Court, you'd have a tent city right there,” Trump said.

The blue tent question came up during Trump’s exchange on Friday with Brian Glenn, a correspondent for Real America’s Voice.

“Just out front of the White House is a blue tent that originally was put there to be an anti-nuclear tent for nuclear arms,” Glenn said. “It’s kind of morphed into more of an anti-American, sometimes anti-Trump at many times.”

He called the tent an “eyesore” for people who walk by.

Trump replied that he didn’t know about the tent.

“Take it down. Take it down today, right now,” he told staffers.

Philipos Melaku-Bello (2nd L) looks over a passerby's phone while at the White House Peace Vigil in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House in Washington, on Sept. 5, 2025. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo

Philipos Melaku-Bello (center L) and Will Rosin (center R) flash the V sign during Peace Vigil in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, on Sept. 7, 2025. Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo

Trump in March issued an executive order to beautify Washington. On Aug. 22, the president said he plans to request $2 billion from Congress for the project, including renovating the White House executive building.

Around early evening on Monday, Craig Thompson was the only protester at the site where the tent used to stand. He said he’s been protesting for 11 years.

“I believe in socialist capitalism myself,” he told The Epoch Times’ sister outlet NTD. “We’re all free to have our own opinions here.”

Officers came around 6:30 a.m. on Sunday while one man was manning the site, Thompson said. “They took everything,” including “all the armature and the cement bricks.”

The man was a new protester who described himself as “standing against fascism,” Thompson said. He had started his first shift two days prior to the takedown and was briefly handcuffed.

Thompson called the communism accusation “ridiculous.” He said that in the 1990s, he had read Chinese literature, such as books about Daoism.

“I really appreciate, love feudal China but I’m not a communist by any means. I believe in the freedom of this country,” he said, adding that he believes Trump’s “stepping on that right now.”

“He has a point. I think he’s handling it the wrong way.”

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated in one instance the time when the blue tent was removed and misattributed the playing of the Chinese national anthem. The Epoch Times regrets the errors.