Yet another politician faced a fiery town hall this week as tensions flare over the Trump administration's agenda. All over the country constituents are flocking to town halls to disrupt their representatives' homecomings. If questions do end up being asked, they are often shouted.
Seeing the unreceptive welcome Republicans are receiving, President Trump blamed many of the disruptions on liberal trolling.
The so-called angry crowds in home districts of some Republicans are actually, in numerous cases, planned out by liberal activists. Sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 21, 2017
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer echoed Trump's sentiments, insisting the protesters were paid professionals.
The latest hostile town hall occurred in Springdale, Arkansas Wednesday night when Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) traveled home to hear from the locals. When he offered the microphone to the attendees, one woman made a point of saying she was "not a paid protester."
Her remarks were met with raucous applause, but Cotton's response was worthy of a standing ovation.
Watch how @SenTomCotton responds to a woman who says she's not a paid protester https://t.co/Np2Cfr0wFp pic.twitter.com/NkB2GsqqVq
— CNN (@CNN) February 23, 2017
What a perfect answer. Cotton is there to represent all Arkansans, regardless of whether or not they like him. He expounded on that point in an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt Thursday morning, noting that he is not afraid to oppose the president's policies when he believes they are bad for his state.
"So you don’t always see those in the national media, but you know, last night is not about the national media, Hugh," Cotton said. "Last night was about Arkansans. And as I, when someone was complaining about Donald Trump, I said look, you know, I will support Donald Trump’s policies when they’re good for Arkansas, and I will oppose them when they’re bad for Arkansas. I think they’re going to be good for Arkansas a lot more often than Barack Obama’s were. But in the end, last night, and what I do in the Senate is not about Donald Trump. It’s about us as Arkansans."
Of course, some moments were not worthy of even a golf clap. At one point, when a Cotton supporter thanked him for his Army service and said most of the state supports him, the crowd booed, according to Politico.