September 5, 2025
Trump orders removal of 44-year peace vigil after reporter complains it's an "eyesore"
Four decades of peaceful protest dies because reporter didn't like the view
🤝Civic Action📜Constitutional Law✊Civil Rights
Trump ordered removal of White House Peace Vigil on Sep. 5, 2025, after conservative reporter Brian Glenn called it an eyesore during Oval Office interview
William Thomas founded the peace vigil Jun. 3, 1981 as anti-nuclear protest, making it America's longest continuous political demonstration at 44 years
Philipos Melaku-Bello started volunteering in 1981 and became longest-serving steward after founder William Thomas died in 2009. Maintains vigil 24/7 with rotating volunteers calling for nuclear disarmament
Federal officers partially dismantled tent structure on Sep. 7, 2025, detaining volunteer Will Roosien. Volunteers immediately reassembled the vigil within hours
National Park Service completed final dismantling Sep. 18, 2025, claiming vigil was 'out of compliance' with regulations and posed safety threat
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) wrote to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in May 2025 demanding vigil review and removal, calling it '24/7 eyesore'
The vigil survived seven presidents and various wars from 1981-2025 until Trump learned about it during Sep. 5 interview with Real America's Voice
Protest signs read 'Ban All Nuclear Weapons or Have a Nice Doomsday' and 'War is not the answer' throughout the 44-year demonstration
🤝Civic Action📜Constitutional Law✊Civil Rights
Test Your Knowledge
10
Q1
The White House Peace Vigil stood for 44 years before Trump removed it in September 2025. Was it the longest continuous political protest in United States history?
Q2
TRUE or FALSE: Trump connected the vigil removal to his broader campaign to clear homeless encampments before the 250th anniversary celebrations.
Q3
How can citizens respond to the removal of the White House Peace Vigil?
Q4
Match each president to how they treated the White House Peace Vigil:
Q5
DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton credited the vigil with inspiring her Nuclear Weapons Abolition Act. How did she respond to its removal?
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Start QuizPeople, bills, and sources
Donald Trump
President of the United States
William Thomas
Peace Vigil Founder (deceased 2009)
Philipos Melaku-Bello
Peace Vigil Keeper and Longest-Serving Steward
Brian Glenn
Reporter, Real America's Voice
Jeff Van Drew
Republican Representative from New Jersey
Doug Burgum
Interior Secretary
Will Roosien
Peace Vigil Volunteer