Several people attempted to disrupt a Town Hall held by Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla..) on Monday night.
Donalds, the Republican candidate for governor, visited Estero in Florida. Estero is in Lee County, southwest of the state.
The town hall was held about six weeks after the National Republican Congressional Committee chair warned GOP legislators not to host in-person meetings, as he claimed that Democrat activists were targeting them.
The Washington Examiner reported that when Donalds was asked tough questions by sometimes emotional inquisitors, he remained calm and provided detailed and informative answers.
“Do you wish to shout or to listen?” Donalds once asked the dissenters. “Because I am trying to inform you, if that is what you want,” I said, I would be factual, but you could yell at me or listen to me.
The Republican Governor, who has a term limit, is being replaced by a lawmaker. Ron DeSantis, who is running for governor next year, was asked about the Department of Government Efficiency headed by Elon Musk, the termination of the diversity, equity, and inclusion programs (DEI), and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
What oversights do you place on Elon Musk with DOGE? one audience member asked Donalds.
“Great question,” Donald said. “Congress’s oversight is more about appropriations.”
The DOGE is currently going through all agencies and examining contracts or inefficiencies, with federal funds.
Donalds responded to some audience members who shouted to try to interrupt him. “I will answer you. If you want to yell, that’s fine, but I want to just answer you. Will you allow me to answer this question?”
Answer it! shouted several members of the crowd.
Donald stated, “So, as I said, they are working under the direction of the President of the United States. If you want to know what the oversight department is doing, let’s wait until the DOGE committee and the DOGE department finish their work. They are currently examining inefficiency within the federal system. This is something President [Barack] Obama wished to do while he was in office.”
Donalds responded to a question about DOGE “invading” social security files by saying that the action had been authorized by President Obama. Donalds responded to some boos by the crowd with a statement that shocked some.
Don’t boo,” he said. “Are you ready? The previous president, President [Joe] Biden.”
Donalds also defended Trump’s administration efforts to end DEI. He said it was a “false assumption” that the initiative meant “somehow minority kids cannot get ahead. It is a lie.”
Many of the people in the crowd shouted “Free Palestine!”
