Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) warned lawmakers to stay away from in-person town hall meetings as GOP lawmakers face backlash from constituents over actions taken by the Trump administration
According to Politico, Hudson delivered the message inside a closed-door meeting of House Republicans on Tuesday.
Hudson reportedly told lawmakers that protests would be getting worse and that no one should host an in person meeting. He recommended that Republicans do virtual town halls or tele-town halls instead.
Hudson’s warning comes as several Republicans, including some in red districts, have face angry voters upset about unelected South-African born billionaire Elon Musk’s power in the Trump administration and his moves to slash the federal workforce.
Hudson’s remarks come one day after Donald Trump dismissed town hall protests as being the work of “paid ‘troublemakers.’”
“Paid ‘troublemakers’ are attending Republican Town Hall Meetings,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social. “It is all part of the game for the Democrats, but just like our big LANDSLIDE ELECTION, it’s not going to work for them!”
Hudson echoed Trump in Tuesday’s meeting claiming that Democrats were “hijacking” the town halls just to get a “viral clip” of Republican lawmakers being challenged over the very unpopular Trump cuts.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) defended Hudson’s move. Johnson told reporters that he thought it was “wise” to not “play into that” after claiming that Democratic activists were showing up at GOP town halls, Politico reports. He also claims that tele-town halls were a good option for members to hear from their constituents.
There is no evidence to suggest that Democratic groups are paying people to attend town halls hosted by Republican lawmakers.
Democrats slammed the GOP over telling their representatives to avoid meeting their constituents face-to-face.
Rep. Theresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.) told Politico that Republicans “are afraid of their constituents.”
“If you’re going to have the audacity to raise prices and rip away health care from millions of Americans, you should at least have the courage to face your constituents,” CJ Warnke, the spokesperson for House Democratic super PAC, House Majority PAC, said.
