It would seem there’s a bit of pressure being brought to bear on GOP Members of Congress, although whether it’s artificial or earnest is of some question. I brought this up yesterday in this post concerning the company that owns Truth Social. Today, I see three more townhalls mentioned, all in a single CNN/Politics article:
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald [R-WI-5th] was questioned by constituents about Ukraine and Elon Musk’s efforts with the Department of Government Efficiency during a town hall Thursday in West Bend, Wisconsin, according to CNN affiliate TMJ4.
One constituent asked, “How can we be represented by you if you don’t have a voice in Congress?” Other attendees brought signs, including one that read “presidents are not kings.” Trump referred to himself as a “king” in a social media post this week.
Fitzgerald disagreed with the president’s comments this week falsely accusing Ukraine of starting the war with Russia. “No, Ukraine did not start the war,” he said at the town hall, adding that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky need to be “in the room” for negotiations to end the conflict.
Wisconsin’s Fifth District is heavily Republican. At least Rep Fitzgerald has publicly clashed with the President.
The second townhall was hosted by Rep. Glenn Grothman:
Grotham defended Musk’s efforts on Friday, telling WBAY, “I think if they understood more what was going on they would like him. They just don’t believe the degree to which he’s looking out for the average guy, which is what he is trying to do.”
Which sounds like political suicide to me. The final townhall was hosted by Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-OR), for whom I do not have a transcript, but is reported as also being contentious by CNN.
Again, townhalls are easily flooded by partisans. I have to consider this highly contingent on factors beyond my ability to evaluate.
But it is interesting.
