TRENTON, OH — Rep. Warren Davidson said he hoped constituents would participate when he announced a rare town hall at a Butler County middle school.
Participate they did. For long stretches of the town hall on Aug. 27, Davidson managed to get only a few words out before he was interrupted by exclamations from the crowd.
Over 500 people gathered in a middle school auditorium in rural Trenton, Ohio, about a 45-minute drive north of Cincinnati to hear from Davidson, a Republican who represents Ohio's 8th Congressional District.
Davidson interrupted frequently by shouts from the crowd
The event began with a prayer, led by an Edgewood High School senior, and the Pledge of Allegiance. The crowd raised their voices on the phrase "liberty and justice for all," echoing the word "all" loudly just before the congressman was introduced.
Davidson began the town hall with an update on his activities in Congress, and when he said the phrase "illegal aliens" just a few minutes in, the crowd erupted with boos and shouts of "don't lie."
Rick Pierce, president of the Middletown Chamber of Commerce, served as moderator and read aloud questions from submitted by attendees. As Davidson responded, he was regulary disrupted by more people shouting than could be removed by the two law enforcement officers present.
Twenty minutes into the town hall, Davidson began to fall silent in response to the noise from the crowd. At one point, he jokingly asked if there were any librarians present before shushing the shouting attendees.
Art Sauerwein said he was disappointed with the behavior of the crowd at the town hall. The 60-year-old Republican from Hanover Township near Oxford said he wanted to hear from his congressman.
“The disruption was disgraceful,” Sauerwein told The Enquirer after the town hall. “I had no idea it would be this disruptive. It was out of control. I really think those people should have been kicked out. They should have had more than two deputies here.”
The town hall hosted by Davidson was unusual for even happening in the first place. Republican leadership in March discouraged lawmakers from holding public town halls after angry constituents voiced their concerns about cuts under Trump's administration.
Davidson fields questions on Medicaid, bipartisanship and privacy
One constiuent expressed concern about Ohioans losing Medicaid coverage. Davidson said "only illegals and able-bodied, working-age adults" are losing access to Medicaid, sparking angry shouts from the crowd.
Davidson didn’t impress Deborah Lyons, 71, of Oxford, but she agreed with him on one issue.
“My reaction is that Davidson is a bit of a liar,” Lyons said. “He’s not quite as stupid as I thought he was, and I actually really agree with him on the privacy issue.”
Davidson, during the town hall, talked about his effort he’s led to update privacy laws to regulate tech companies and the data they collect.
"If you look at the Bill of Rights, you know, the first 10 amendments to our Constitution, privacy is probably the most trampled," he said.
Davidson also responded to a question about how to bring people together in the country, noting that he enjoys working with Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat from California.
Davidson then said that he believes since the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been treating even their family members with contempt. He said that's what inspired him to introduce legislation to use federal resources to study "Trump Derangement Syndrome," a phrase that does not refer to an actual medical condition.
"People don’t act rationally when it comes to President Trump," he said over jeers from the audience.
Rich Douglas, 70, of Wyoming described himself as a Republican but said he doesn't plan on voting for Davidson. He also said he doesn't support Trump. He said Davidson didn't address how he would stop "Trump doing some of the crazy things he's doing for national security."
Still, Douglas doesn’t think the town hall was a waste. He hopes Davidson listened.
“I’m optimistic,” Douglas said. “I would hope that he would take some of this to heart.”
Who is Warren Davidson?
Davidson is an Army veteran with a master's degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame. He ran his family's manufacturing business, West Troy Tool, before serving in Congress.
He's represented Ohio's 8th Congressional District since 2016 and serves on the House Financial Services Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee. He was a member of the Republicans' House Freedom Caucus until June 2024, when he was ousted after endorsing the chairman's opponent.
Regional politics reporter Erin Glynn can be reached at [email protected], @ee_glynn on X or @eringlynn on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Warren Davidson town hall frequently interrupted by shouting, boos
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