(NewsNation) — Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina faced a large and angry crowd during a town hall he held Thursday night.
His district is largely Republican, and Edwards won reelection last year by 13 percentage points. On Thursday, however, he was booed several times by people in the audience, who grilled him on recent federal layoffs and cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency.
Mentioning President Donald Trump or Tesla CEO Elon Musk prompted a negative reaction from constituents.
Other GOP lawmakers have had a similar reception at their town halls. Republican congressional leaders have advised their colleagues not to do in-person town halls because of this.
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Edwards still showed up to the event and stayed for the duration.
“I’m accountable to the people in my district in western North Carolina, not to anyone in Washington, D.C., although I know their intentions were honorable,” Edwards said.
North Carolina was devastated by Hurricane Helene last year, and Edwards thought the town hall would be a way to pull the community together, as well.
In addition, Edwards said he is proud of the work Trump and Republicans are doing.
“I believe that I shouldn’t shy away from those accomplishments,” Edwards said. “I should spend more time talking about them, in addition to listening to see if folks have some different approaches or tactics that we could use to accomplish the same things.”
