Earlier this week, President Donald Trump peddled a false conspiracy theory that voters voicing anger toward Republican lawmakers at town hall events were being paid by Democrats.
In recent weeks, numerous videos have gone viral of angry voters confronting Republican lawmakers at town halls across the country, expressing their opposition to potential cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security; Trump and Elon Musk’s mass firings of federal workers; and Trump’s flouting of the U.S. Constitution.
On Monday, Trump attempted to sow doubts over the legitimacy of those videos on his Truth social account.
“Paid ‘troublemakers’ are attending Republican Town Hall Meetings,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, citing no evidence for his claims. “It is all part of the game for the Democrats, but just like our big LANDSLIDE ELECTION, it’s not going to work for them!”
Notably, Trump did not win the 2024 election by a landslide — while he frequently claims to have won a “mandate,” he didn’t secure votes from a majority of voters, and his win was the second-smallest popular vote win in the past 40 years.
Trump’s claim that Democrats are paying people to disrupt Republican lawmakers’ town hall meetings is equally baseless — but it’s not uncommon for Trump to hurl such accusations at his critics. During his 2016 campaign, for example, he alleged that protesters at his rallies were “paid agitators.” (No proof of that claim ever materialized.)
Trump’s post this week echoes comments made by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) late last month. In an interview with CNN host Kaitlan Collins, Johnson said that viral videos showing constituents upset with Republicans during their town halls “were of paid protesters” or of “Democrats who went to the events early and filled up the seats.”
Collins pushed back on Johnson’s statement, noting that Democratic voters are permitted to attend town hall meetings held by Republican lawmakers, and that one GOP representative had recognized that those voicing their outrage were indeed his constituents.
“One Republican acknowledged they were constituents. That’s fantastic,” Johnson responded sarcastically.
Despite his tone, Johnson and other Republicans pushing the narrative about paid protesters have yet to offer evidence to back their claims.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) responded to Johnson’s comments in a video on social media.
“Another day, another lie from these people who are out of control,” Jeffries said, adding:
All across the country, people are rising up to push back against the assault on the economy, the assault on hard-working families, the assault on our democracy and the assault on Medicaid. We don’t need paid protesters, bro, the American people are with us.
As a result of Republicans having to face frustrated constituents, National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) chair Rep. Rich Hudson (R-North Carolina) advised lawmakers in his conference to stop hosting town halls during a closed-door meeting at the Capitol on Tuesday. Outside the meeting, Hudson repeated the false claims peddled by Trump and Johnson, baselessly accusing the attendees of being “professional protesters.”
Since then, many Republicans have been skipping scheduled town halls within their districts. Others have begun doing “tele-town halls” which allow them to pre-select questions and ensure that there are no follow-ups from their constituents.
Critics have lashed out at Trump for peddling conspiracy theories about voters who are opposed to his far right agenda.
“‘Paid protesters’ has been a reliable excuse for the right since the civil rights era,” historian Kevin M. Kruse said on his Bluesky account, recounting that “segregationists [also] claimed the high schoolers who desegregated Central High in Little Rock were paid to do so.”
“For Trump and too many in his party, Americans who disagree with them are effectively an impossibility that can only be explained through corrupt schemes and illicit payments,” MSNBC producer Steve Benen opined. “Indeed, it’s hardly a stretch to draw a straight line from ‘paid protesters’ rhetoric to election denialism: Americans who side with Trump and Republicans are real, while Americans who disagree must necessarily be seen as inauthentic.”
“Republicans are gaslighting their own voters, claiming that everyday, ordinary people upset about GOP cuts are paid protesters,” said Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah. “Y’all, none of this is going to end well. For any of us.”
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