Florida Town Hall Heats Up: Protester Ejected After Shouting Match With Rep. Byron Donalds

Things got loud and lively at Estero High School on Monday night, where a town hall with Rep. Byron Donalds turned into a full-blown shouting match between the congressman and a protester. The Florida Republican, known for his strong ties to Donald Trump and his own ambitions to be the next governor, was interrupted by a woman demanding answers on the war in Gaza.

Donalds didn’t shy away from the confrontation. He told the protester, "The Palestinians have voted for Hamas and they have not done anything to remove Hamas. So you want to have a shouting match with me? Let's have a shouting match on the facts." He added, "The truth is, is that Hamas held elections one time. One time. And they never held elections again. Because they would prefer to keep the Palestinian people under their boots."

As the crowd watched, Donalds pressed on, blaming Hamas and those who empower them for the bloodshed, drawing applause from his supporters. The protester, however, wasn’t done yet, continuing to yell as security closed in.

"What you're doing is yelling now and you're being disrespectful. You, ma'am, you are being disrespectful. And I will respect you. And I will honor the fact that you are here trying to get answers," Donalds said. "But if you're gonna hold this thing up and be disrespectful, then it's time for you to be removed. You can leave." With that, law enforcement stepped in and escorted the woman out as she shouted, "Free, free Palestine!" on her way out the door. Talk about making an exit.

The drama didn’t end there. Donalds also faced a pretty skeptical crowd when fielding questions about government oversight and Elon Musk’s role in something called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He described Musk as a "special employee" under Trump’s presidency, likening his role to that of John Kerry under President Biden, tasked with rooting out inefficiency in federal agencies.

The explanation didn’t exactly wow the audience, who responded with groans and impatience as Donalds drew historical parallels to Obama’s own attempts at streamlining the government. "You can boo if you want to, but those are the facts," he told the restless crowd.

Town halls can get heated, but this one really hit a boiling point. Who knew Estero High School’s auditorium could get so spicy on a Monday night?