President Trump ordered the removal of the White House Peace Vigil on Friday, marking an end to a 44-year protest against the nation’s nuclear weaponry and warfare. 

A reporter informed the president of the ongoing protest — now manned by Philipos Melaku-Bello and a group of rotating volunteers — Friday in the Oval Office, describing the long-standing tent as an “eye sore” for visitors supported by the “radical left.” 

“I didn’t know that. Take it down. Take it down today, right now,” Trump told staffers inside the White House.

The president has pledged to erase homeless encampments across Washington, D.C., in an effort to clean the streets ahead of the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding.

Unhoused residents have faced a swarm of police officers and National Guard soldiers in recent weeks who have detained them for sleeping outside.

However, the peace vigil in Lafayette Park stands out as a permanent stakeout for free speech and is widely known as the longest continuous act of political protest in U.S. history. 

Activist William Thomas propped up the free standing structure in June 1981 parallel to the North Lawn, where dignitaries and world leaders arrive for discussion and dissent. 

As years flew by, Thomas remained posted out front of the White House and faithfully manned the station through the course of seven presidents and various wars, until his death in 2016.

Melaku-Bello then took over the site with tattered signs that read “Ban All Nuclear Weapons or Have a Nice Doomsday” and “Live By the Bomb, Die By the Bomb” as a reminder of their push for peace to all who pass by, The Washington Post reported. 

Over the years, the tent has drawn the attention of members of Congress who’ve either supported or condemned the collective mission of the White House Peace Vigil. 

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) was inspired by the protesters and has repeatedly introduced the Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Conversion Act on behalf of the group.

The legislation would redirect funding for nuclear weapons to other causes, such as the climate crisis, and human and infrastructure needs, such as housing and health care.

Norton has said it would help reestablish the country’s “moral leadership in the world.“

While she’s rallied behind the demonstrators, Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) has advocated for the encampment to be swiftly removed, citing “public safety hazards” in addition to “aesthetic and historical degradation.”

“No group should be above the law, and the continued allowance of this permanent occupation sends the wrong message to law-abiding Americans,” Van Drew wrote in a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum obtained by the Post.

“This isn’t about stopping protest. It’s about upholding the rule of law, preserving one of America’s most iconic public spaces, and ending a double standard that’s made a mockery of both,” he added.

However, Norton told the Post that protesters are well within their right to peacefully assemble outside of the White House on public property. 

“The First Amendment protects peaceful protests, even when they’re seen as unsightly or inconvenient, and even when they occur in front of the White House,” Norton said in the statement. 

“The Peace Vigil has stood in front of the White House for more than 30 years, with its organizers engaged in principled activism at considerable personal cost. If Representative Van Drew’s claim that the vigil creates public safety hazards were valid, it would have been removed long ago.”

(NEXSTAR) – Assuming you beat the infinitesimal odds and win the Powerball jackpot Saturday night, there are several things you must do to avoid costly mistakes, experts say.

On Friday, the jackpot grew to $1.8 billion, making it the second-largest U.S. lottery jackpot in history, trailing only a prize claimed in California in 2022 that surpassed $2 billion.

The pre-tax numbers are staggering, but a winner’s game plan after matching the numbers may determine how rich that person ultimately remains.

“The biggest fear that pretty much all sudden wealth recipients have, and especially lottery winners, is that they’re going to screw it up,” Robert Pagliarini, author of “The Sudden Wealth Solution,” told Nexstar.

Pagliarini has been advising clients, including lottery winners, for over 20 years on how to handle large influxes of money. He says that the goal is always to turn that lump sum into lasting wealth, but added that for lottery winners there are some must-dos.

The crucial first step

The winning lottery ticket is just a slip of paper and can be stolen, lost or even destroyed in a washing machine.

Until it is signed, the ticket is a bearer instrument, or a financial document that is payable to the person who physically possesses it.

“That means that they really need to document that they are the owner of the ticket,” Pagliarini said. “So I would take a selfie with the ticket, I would take a video of me and the ticket, I would sign the ticket and I would keep that ticket in a very, very safe place.”

Don’t go it alone

If possible, experts advise, keep the lottery win a secret while building a team of experts.

Pagliarini warns that strangers, friends and even family members may all come knocking once word circulates. To safeguard the winnings, he recommends hiring an attorney, tax advisor and financial advisor as soon as possible.

There’s going to be helicopters flying overhead when you go and collect the winnings like this. This stuff happens because the world gets excited. And now everyone knows that you’ve got a billion dollars that’s not good. In no circumstances is that a good thing.

He recommends staying out of the spotlight and telling as few people as possible, as well as crafting a plan to prepare for speaking to the media.

Annuity or lump sum?

A monumental decision that Mega Millions jackpot winners face is how to receive their winnings – in a big lump sum or spread out over years in annuity payments.

If someone beats the 1-in-302,575,350 odds and wins the current Mega Millions jackpot on Friday, they will ultimately have to choose between taking the pot in 30 payments over 29 years, or the reduced lump cash sum of roughly $602 million.

Nicholas Bunio, a Pennsylvania certified financial planner, said even with his expertise, he would take an annuity because it would so dramatically reduce his risk of making poor investment decisions.

“It allows you to make a mistake here and there,” Bunio said. “People don’t understand there is a potential for loss. They only focus on the potential for gain.”

The gulf between the cash and annuity options has become larger because inflation has prompted a rise in interest rates, which in turn results in potentially larger investment gains. With annuities, the jackpot cash is essentially invested and then paid out to winners over three decades.

“You’ve got to see what is the best option for you,” Steven Evensen, CFP, a financial advisor with Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management, told Nexstar.

While the lump sum is more popular and would grant immediate access to the cash, it also means more taxes.

“You’d be taxed up to 37% federally, and then even more so depending on your state tax,” Evensen cautioned. “So I would speak to an accountant about that to make sure you aren’t kind of overspending in your head before you actually receive the money and receive your tax bill at the end of the day.”

Regardless of which payout plan you choose, Evensen recommends investing some of the money. What you invest in depends on your goals, but “low cost mutual funds, index funds are a great place to start.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.