Rep. Byron Donalds’s (R-Fla.) raucous town hall on Monday evening featured a mix of cheers, shouting and pointed questions around the work President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency has been doing to curb spending and overhaul the federal workforce.
Donalds, who launched a gubernatorial campaign in late February to replace the term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), defended the Trump administration's approach on a range of issues, including Social Security, DOGE layoffs and the president's sweeping tariff agenda.
The Florida Republican, who has been endorsed by Trump in his bid for governor, had a number of tense exchanges with attendees at the event in Estero, Fla., with the lawmaker saying, “do you want to yell, or do you want to hear,” CNN reported.
He stood in defense of DOGE’s work and pointed to previous remarks from former President Obama, who he said also wanted to examine federal government inefficiency while in the Oval Office.
“We actually have to let the DOGE actually finish its work. What they are examining right now is inefficiency in the federal system,” Donalds said Monday night at Estero High School.
The event was Donalds’ first town hall since the new Congress started earlier this year. House GOP leadership advised members of their conference not to host in-person town halls following other tense exchanges between lawmakers and attendees over Trump's agenda.
Those who have done so have faced criticism. But Republicans are not the only ones who have endured tough crowds, as Democrats have also faced frustrated constituents.
One attendee asked Donalds on Monday if he approved of tech billionaire Elon Musk and DOGE “invading our Social Security files?”
“Elon Musk and DOGE have been authorized by the president of the United States,” Donalds responded but was met boos from part of the audience, according to CNN.
Donalds told the crown not too boo and listen to his full response, saying “you don’t want to hear the full story.”
“Now this is my question for the audience: Do you want to yell or do you want to hear,” he asked.
“Because if you want to hear, I’m trying to give you the information,” the Florida lawmaker continued, per the outlet. “I told you, I’m going to be factual. But you can yell or you can hear.”
The Sunshine State lawmaker also backed the administration’s effort to slash the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s staff, telling the crowd that “I want you to know that it’s not just the administration that wants to get rid of the CFPB.”
“I want to get rid of the CFPB,” he added.
When discussing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, Donalds asserted that opportunities for African American men are there, pointing to his success in the private sector, Politico reported.
He said it was a “lie” that kids of color “can’t get ahead if it weren’t for DEI.”
“The beauty of a constitutional republic is we get to have these very vigorous debates and disagreements,” Donalds told the crowd, per CNN. “Here’s what I will tell you, in all my time in elected office and before that, even though I disagree with you, I will respect your opinion. But I will still disagree with you.”
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