'We're scared. We're outraged. We're sad': Behind the angry voters at explosive town halls

Two months into Donald Trump's second presidency, lawmakers are encountering a lot of anger and frustration at town hall events. Some of it is frustration over Trump's far-right policies, but some of it is frustration with Democrats — who, some voters complain, aren't doing enough to push back against Trump's agenda.

The Washington Post's Karen Tumulty describes that frustration in her March 24 column, noting the type comments that two lawmakers in New York State's Hudson Valley — Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan and GOP Rep. Michael Lawler — are hearing.

Lawler is conservative but not far-right, and he performed well among swing voters in his district in 2024.

READ MORE: Author details link between 'Christian nationalism' and MAGA’s 'smashing of the administrative state'

"I wanted to listen to what the lawmakers themselves are hearing from their constituents," Tumulty explains. "What came through was a deep — and deeply understandable — sense of foreboding and confusion. At his town hall, Ryan noted the questions submitted in advance and summed them up this way: 'We're scared. We're outraged. We're sad. We feel powerless. What can we do?'"

Tumulty adds, "There was another feeling among the audience: exasperation with the impotence they have seen from Democrats."

At a Ryan town hall, Tumulty notes, retired teacher Richard Mardex said, "Where is the coordinated effort? We need leadership." And a woman shouted, "Where's the action?"

At a Lawler event, Tumulty says, a woman complained about a Social Security office closing, telling Lawler, "I am encouraging you to go and talk to government to please keep it open. We should have at least one office here. Please, please, not just for me, but for all the seniors."

READ MORE: 'Will not back down' from Trump's 'intimidation': Activists react to president's new memo

Karen Tumulty's full Washington Post column is available at this link (subscription required).