Republican Lawmakers Get an Earful in Town Halls

BY JASMINE LI

Cheers and jeers in Florida. Angry constituents in New York. And stun guns in Georgia.

The rocky receptions at Republican lawmakers’ town halls show they are continuing to grapple with the breakneck policy changes of President Trump’s first 100 days in office, from contentious tariffs to government job cuts to tax plans—and how best to sell them to voters.

GOP leaders counseled lawmakers against holding inperson meetings, which have often turned volatile. But many Republicans—including some with eyes on higher office— charged ahead during Congress’s recent two-week recess, facing down heckling and tough questions from fired-up audiences.

In West Nyack, N.Y., on Sunday, constituents began shouting and booing as soon as GOP Rep. Mike Lawler took the stage. Some continued when he introduced the Pledge of Allegiance. “Please tell me you’re not objecting to the Pledge of Allegiance,” Lawler said. “God bless.”

Attendees were required to prove their residence in the district and were asked to fol-low a list of 16 ground rules, including: “Be respectful of one another, of staff, and of the Congressman.”

The second-term lawmaker faced a series of questions about inflation, tax cuts and deportations. When he defended Trump’s tariffs, members of the audience chanted, “Blah, blah, blah,” drowning him out.

Lawler tried to rein in the crowd throughout the 90-minute event, but the tumult per--sisted until the end, when he took a question about religious exemptions from vaccine mandates. “Folks, sit down,” he said to the jeering crowd. “And if you don’t want to stay, you can leave.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s town hall in Acworth, Ga., devolved into chaos when police arrested three protesters who disrupted the event, and used a stun gun on two of them. Greene had to pause at least five times as police continued to evict more people.

“The protest is outside,” Greene said as supporters cheered.

Greene answered a list of pre-submitted questions about tariffs, the Department of Government Efficiency and transgender issues, and praised Trump and Elon Musk. The event grew more heated as she wrapped up: One member of the crowd called Greene a “butch body bigot”—referencing a war of words in a House committee last year that went viral. Another repeatedly yelled “Free Kilmar,” referring to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man mistakenly sent to El Salvador by the Trump administration.

Supporters of Greene chanted “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” as she exited, flanked by police.

In the past two weeks, about a dozen congressional Republicans hosted in-person town halls. Meanwhile, more than 85 Democrats held their own meetings. Some seized on the “no-show” narrative, depicting Republican colleagues as hiding from constituents.

Several Republicans who bucked party leaders’ directives to pause town halls are seeking higher office, including Lawler, who is considering running for New York governor. Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Byron Donalds of Florida are also eyeing bids for governor. Both shared videos of clashes at their events and cast protesters as radical.

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley got an earful from constituents about Trump’s handling of Abrego Garcia, now in El Salvador.

“He’s defying the Constitution,” one woman shouted. “The president of that country is not subject to our U.S. Supreme Court,” Grassley responded. The crowd in Lee County groaned.

Some Republicans tightened event security. Donalds, who is running to succeed Ron De-Santis as governor of Florida, hosted a ticketed town hall in Estero. Attendees were required to show ID proving they live in the district, or have their voter registration verified by staff.