A town hall audience erupted in angry boos and jeers as a Republican congressman tried to defend Elon Musk and his government-slashing DOGE initiative.
Florida Rep. Byron Donalds was the latest member of the GOP to face pointed questions from constituents who are angry about President Donald Trump’s billionaire adviser and his efforts to dismantle key parts of the federal government.
“As a member of the oversight committee, what oversights are you imposing on Elon Musk and DOGE?” an audience member asked Donalds to sustained cheering.
“What DOGE is doing is they are going through every agency and they are examining any contracts or any lack of efficiencies in spending federal dollars,” Donalds tried to explain, as the audience began yelling “No! No! No!”
The three-term congressman is running to succeed Ron DeSantis as the governor of Florida after the term-limited incumbent’s tenure ends next year. Donalds earned the coveted Donald Trump endorsement in February.
After the crowd quieted down, Donalds continued, “If you’re going to talk about what Oversight is doing, we have to let the DOGE committee actually finish its work,” and the audience tenor began to rise again.
Donalds then tried to compared DOGE’s work to that of former President Barack Obama—who also wanted to look at government inefficiency, he said—prompting the audience to burst into loud “boos” and jeers.
Republicans have largely stopped holding town halls and public events following widespread backlash to the billionaire Musk, a temporary special government employee who has not disclosed or renounced his business interests.
His secretive cost-cutting operation has been unilaterally trying to dismantle federal agencies, cancel hundreds of billions of dollars in government contracts, purge the civil service, and access Americans’ sensitive personal and financial data. The administration is facing dozens of lawsuits over DOGE’s actions.
Soon after the first DOGE exchange, another audience member asked Donalds, “Do you approve of Elon and DOGE invading our Social Security files?”
The crowd roared with applause.
“Elon Musk and DOGE have been authorized by the president of the United States—” Donalds began before being cut off by more loud booing.
Later in the town hall, a woman stood up and began shouting her disapproval of the war in Gaza and the U.S.’s support for Israel. A police officer walked to the end of her row and apparently asked her to leave. She left chanting “Free Palestine.”
