If Donald Trump wins the White House in November, his vice president, J.D. Vance, will have a lot more eyes on where he goes out in DC. And if his political action committee, JD Vance for Senate, is any indication, the Ohio senator loves a steakhouse. Just like his running mate.
Vance’s PAC has spent relatively sparsely at DC restaurants over the last four years, according to campaign finance reports. But steakhouses top the catering and food expenditures list, including BLT Steak, Capital Grille, Morton’s, and Fogo de Chao. The Brazilian steak chain was frequented the most—four separate times in 2023 with bills totaling of $2,744.
The restaurants where the PAC spent the most were the Henri, a French-Belgian bistro near the White House, and Cafe Milano, a favorite of political VIPs in Georgetown. On the lower end, the campaign also made visits to We the Pizza in Capitol Hill.
Trump himself is also famously a (well-done) steak guy. The only DC restaurant he visited during his tenure as President was steakhouse BLT Prime in the Trump hotel.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
