Rep. Chuck Edwards humiliated by massive crowd of protestors at Asheville town hall
Rep. Chuck Edwards, against the advice of House Speaker Mike Johnson, decided to brave a town hall in Democratic Asheville, North Carolina, and was subsequently destroyed by protestors.
Recently, Johnson suggested GOP lawmakers forego town halls due to the unprecedented level of dissatisfaction among constituents. Across the nation, protestors and disgruntled constituents have shown up in record numbers at GOP town halls. In Oregon, protestors across the state packed town halls so full that attendees were turned away while a crowd of over 300 protestors very clearly informed Rep. Keith Self they would “vote him out” during his Texas town hall. In states where GOP lawmakers tried to dodge town hall appearances, protestors gathered outside their offices to demand they face their constituents. It’s not surprising Johnson is calling for a halt on town halls, considering GOP leaders have lost control at some of these meetings, sparking at least one incident where a constituent was attacked and will likely be suing the Kootenai County Republican committee.
President Donald Trump has insisted that these mass protests nationwide are just the work of “paid troublemakers.” However, his narrative can’t hide the sheer dissatisfaction of constituents, such as the ones at Edwards town hall.
Rep. Chuck Edwards destroyed by protestors at town hall
Edwards is known for his hardline anti-immigration stance, as well as his unethical communications usage to disparage Democrats. Last year, he violated federal laws by using newsletters to his constituents to make disparaging remarks against President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. Previously, he had also disparaged his own constituents, attacking Asheville and its Democratic officials in a few taxpayer-funded mailers. Unsurprisingly, Edwards is also a pro-Trumper who once weirdly awarded him a “French Fry Certification Pin” because of his McDonald’s cosplay.
Given his past controversies and current support of Trump’s increasingly unpopular moves, Edwards’s choice to host a town hall in predominantly blue Asheville was undoubtedly bold. Meanwhile, the constituents did not disappoint. Swarms of protestors showed up at the town hall, resulting in many attendees getting turned away at the door. Undeterred, protestors outside chanted things like “Deport Musk” and “Do your job” so loudly they could be heard from inside the building.
Protestors booed Edwards, called out his lies, and slammed him with scathing questions inside the town hall. Ukraine supporters boasted a strong presence at the town hall, letting it rip on Edwards when he claimed, “Actually, I believe that president is very supportive of Ukraine.” This claim comes just days after Trump temporarily halted military aid to Ukraine and egregiously disrespected the country’s president during a meeting at the White House. Edwards got the same response when he insisted that Elon Musk has brought “smart” people into DOGE. He didn’t mention these “smart” people disrupted Ebola prevention efforts and illegally fired countless federal workers.
One bold constituent asked Edwards outright, “Do you support the annexations of Canada and/or Greenland? … Do you like the way [Trump] treats the premier, or the president of Canada, calling him ‘governor’? Is that the way you do, as a diplomat? … Do you enjoy the way he’s trying to extort minerals from Ukraine? Do you like bullying people who need your help?” Not enough people are willing to ask pro-Trumpers the hard questions, quizzing them on whether they agree with bullying, destroying diplomatic relations, and threatening to annex one’s neighbors.
Edwards could barely speak without getting hit with boos, cries of “lies,” and, according to him, “hisses” from the crowd. Of course, he couldn’t handle all of the dissent, ordering security to remove veteran Jay Carey, who called him out for supporting taking away veterans’ jobs. All in all, over 1,700 people showed up to protest against Edwards, with 400 entering the town hall to point out his lies and levy intense questions at him. As much as Republicans try to blame protests on some Democratic scheme, the truth is just that people are unhappy, and they’re starting to realize their power. If they keep showing and fighting, people like Edwards will have to answer to them, and if they can’t, their chances of re-election aren’t looking good.
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