House Republicans Avoid Town Halls As Angry Voters Flock Meetings To Protest Trump Administration

Congress is in recess for the next two weeks, allowing lawmakers to go back to their home towns and constituencies. But many Republican lawmakers are reportedly not planning on holding town halls, stepping away from the spotlight after viral meetings showed angry voters demanding changes from the Trump administration.

That directive came from the chair of the House GOP's campaign arm, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), who told his fellow House Republicans in early March to stop holding in-person town halls amid a wave of angry backlash over the cuts and policies undertaken by the Trump administration.

Republicans have largely dismissed the town hall uproar, baselessly claiming the presence of "paid troublemakers," people who attended the meeting with the sole purpose of causing noise.

"There are people who do this as a profession, they're professional protesters," Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters after Hudson's announcement. He said he thought it was "wise" to not "play into that" and added that tele-town halls were a good option for members to hear from their constituents.

The vast majority of House Republicans have followed these recommendations, leading to the majority of town halls and town hall-style events taking place over the congressional recess to be hosted by Democrats.

The few Republicans who have publicly advised that they'll be holding town halls include Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Byron Donalds of Florida. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who just launched his 45th annual 99-county tour of Iowa, will also be holding a public town hall in his state.

Greene and Donalds, who announced a run for governor in Florida, each restricted registration for their upcoming town halls to residents of their respective districts.

The decision comes after angry constituents flocked to House Republicans' town hall events and district offices throughout the course of Trump's massive government cuts. Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) faced a large and testy audience at a town hall in February, with Reps. Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.), Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) and Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.) also getting heated questioning.

Swing-district Reps. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.) and Brayn Steil (R-Wis.) all saw demonstrations outside their offices.

But Republicans are not the only ones facing angry voters. Some Democrats, like Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) also faced frustrated constituents— though at a much smaller scale— last month, particularly after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) led Democrats to support a President Trump-backed bill to fund the government.

Still, Democrats are doubling down on a strategy to host a series of what it has dubbed "People's Town Halls" in districts represented by Republicans.

Over the upcoming two-week recess, Democrats plan to hold town halls in a variety of states, including Arizona, Pennsylvania, Colorado, North Carolina and Missouri. That is in addition to Sen. Bernie Sanders' popular "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, where he has been joined by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez denouncing Trump's relationship to billionaires and the controversial DOGE cuts.