Things are getting increasingly tense out in what is too often called “Middle America” or “Real America” depending on one’s predisposition. As has been written over and over, President Donald Trump’s voters gave him a larger-than-expected victory primarily on the back of the expectation that he would fight inflation while also tightening border issues and immigration. To the extent that Trump followed up on his promise to clean up “waste” or fraud while firing some IRS agents, fine. Get on with it was the message all heard. The anti-DEI bent was baked in as standard Republican stuff.
Very few expected Trump to impose higher tariffs on goods manufactured in Canada, Europe, and Mexico than those pinned on Chinese products. This all happened as – out of the seeming blue – he became consumed with making our massive neighbor a “51st state” despite the fact that Canada has been spectacularly clear in its disinterest and is now increasingly hostile as the obsession seems only stronger. Even fewer thought that national park rangers, Social Security administrators, weather forecasters, or air traffic controllers would be summarily terminated as part of thinning down the federal government. No one expected Elon Musk to have the power to almost wantonly cut through government programs, popular or otherwise, answerable to seemingly no one but judges and occasionally Marco Rubio.
The surprises have roiled markets in fear of a recession, upsetting voters – many of whom see this as the opposite of what they signed up for. Few things reliably upset Americans as much as harming veterans – appropriately so. The terminations in the federal government have disproportionately hit veterans hard – many were given preference for work in various agencies or departments. Even worse, some cuts threaten veterans’ benefits, be it through the VA or disability. The new dynamic has infuriated much of the public, including many Trump supporters.
To their credit, red districts often have a heavy military presence or a high percentage of veteran families. Thus it is that things are increasingly uncomfortable for many Republican Congress critters going home to host townhalls, even in some of the reddest districts – as Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina’s rural far-west district found out last night. One audience member was particularly upset. Normally one might write off any particular “one” person as just that – a guy. And yet this man’s questions weren’t booed or met with silence – only applause, as the report from Mediaite states that the voter asked (See video below):
“Do you support the annexation of Canada and/or Greenland? And this is a yes or no question, I don’t want you to wander off into the woods, I don’t want to hear about your latest week in your office … so I’m trying to get your opinion on this as a yes or no.”
The audience applauded as he continued:
“Do you support Trump on annexing Canada or Greenland, and do you like the way he treats the premier or the president of Canada, calling him ‘governor’? Is that the way you’d do as a diplomat? Is that, is that the way the United States should act to our closest neighbors?”
Encouraged, the question extended to Ukraine:
“Do you enjoy the way he’s tried to extort minerals from the Ukraine? Do you like bullying people that need your help? Do you go for kicking the guy when he’s down? Do you support Trump in these things? This is a yes or no.”
To Edward’s credit – he did hold the townhall knowing that some members had been told to avoid public Q and A’s and, when pinned down, he did answer the questions with the “Yes or No” demand. He said that he did not support Trump’s moves with respect to Canada or Greenland, but Edwards did support attaching American grants to Ukraine with mineral rights. (The mineral rights issue isn’t inherently bad. A portion of U.S. aid has been in the form of a loan from the beginning, and taking an ownership interest in some Ukrainian mining might be highly favorable to Ukraine… All depending on the terms, the proposed deal left Ukraine disinterested – labeled as “extortion” by many.)
holy shit this question at the Rep. Chuck Edwards town hall 🔥🔥🔥
REP. CHUCK EDWARDS: Actually I believe that president is very supportive of UkraineTOWN HALL: *BOOOOOOOO!*
REP. CHUCK EDWARDS: I happen to believe very much that President Trump supports our Constitution TOWN HALL: *BOOOOOO!*
REP. CHUCK EDWARDS: The folks who work with DOGE have gone through the same exact security screens as everyone elseTOWN HALL: *Boooooooo!*EDWARDS: Are we through taking questions?
As you can see, things devolved pretty quickly. To be sure, to the extent that the administration or Republicans at a national level address the matter, it is likely that they’ll say that the comments came from some paid Democratic lackey. But evidence of manipulation would be painfully easy to find and terribly damaging to the blue brand. As Grok summarizes:
Could there be isolated cases of paid agitators? Sure, it’s not impossible. But the scale and consistency of the 2025 town hall backlash—across states like Georgia, Kansas, and Texas—align more with organic frustration than a coordinated, funded operation. Without concrete evidence like bank transactions or whistleblower testimony, the “paid Democrats” theory remains a claim without legs. People are mad, but the money trail’s missing.
So, yes – there does seem to be real anger out there. Again, Trump voters surely did know that he favored tariffs but likely thought primarily about China. They hate the deep state but not air traffic control. And they almost surely thought that veterans would enjoy greater support, not face increasing fear regarding jobs or services. At some point, one has to wonder when that same anger might lead Republicans in Congress to oppose some of the Trump administration’s more drastic moves. So far, they look more content to give their powers away, not having to vote on tariffs, than to take a position. But if the stock market continues to ski with fear of a recession riding the lift may mean that quietly going along with “anything” is no longer seen as viable.
For now, we only know that Edwards deserves some credit for holding the meeting in the first place and giving the straight-up answers. One may totally disagree with Edwards but as far as constituent services go – that’s about all one can ask. Left up in the air is whether his experience impacts decisions made by his colleagues. At the end of the night, Edwards posted:
Had a lively town hall with my constituents in Asheville. We may not agree on every issue, but hearing the concerns of Western North Carolinians and answering your questions will continue to be a priority of mine. If you weren’t able to join, stay tuned for information about my… pic.twitter.com/6UU98Q3jld
— Congressman Chuck Edwards (@RepChuckEdwards) March 14, 2025
Not bad given what he went through. Again, let’s see what the others do with respect to meetings and, more importantly, whether those town halls lead to any change in the environment.
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In all fairness, I would note that Asheville is pretty widely known as a liberal stronghold in North Carolina. I am really surprised that Edward’s had the cojones to hold a town hall here. And definitely not surprised at the less-than-cordial reception he received, especially considering that we are still trying to recover from Hurricane Helene and could use a generous infusion of money, which the Republican state congress seems inclined to hold on to.
I do not have command of the vocabulary required to denounce what this man says with eloquence, so let me say it this way, if you held a mirror of truth up to Edwards, it would crack in the face of the fantasy he would have us believe.