Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's staff insisted certain Turkish journalists leave the room before Erdogan's talk at the Brookings Institution in Washington DC on 31 March, prompting the confrontation seen in the video. Supporters and protesters of the Erdogan regime faced-off with members of his security detail outside the venue.

Brookings considered cancelling the event but the Turkish embassy managed to persuade the security detail to backed down. Erdogan met US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit. Erdogan stands accused of cracking down on freedom of the press in Turkey.