Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., got more boos than cheers from the estimated 1,800 people who turned out to his town hall in Mesa, Ariz., on Thursday evening, the lawmaker’s first such event of the year.
The audience appeared to be comprised of mostly Democratic activists – as evident by the majority of people who protested the senator’s statements throughout the event.
Although Flake’s office informed attendees ahead of time that signs and banners would not be allowed into the auditorium, hundreds of people showcased red and green papers, which they waved when upset about or supportive of Flake’s response to a question.
When asked about President Trump’s executive order to build a southern border wall, Flake, a libertarian-leaning senator who is up for re-election next year, said the barrier “doesn’t have to be a wall all the way through Texas and Arizona,” keeping his answer minimal.
A woman pressed Flake on why House Republicans sought to pass an Obamacare replacement bill that would have stripped funding for abortion-provider Planned Parenthood.
Flake said he is pro-life and was immediately drowned out by boos.
“Planned Parenthood does more than abortions. And you know! You know!” the woman yelled back at Flake. “Get out of the pocket of big money.”
Flake told woman that they disagreed on the issue.
While one person criticized Trump’s regular trips to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., another criticized Flake’s office over its annual report “Waste Book” it puts out listing unnecessary federal spending, including grants to study dinosaurs vocal cords. The man called these scientific studies “very cool” and advocated for them to continue, but did not comment on Trump’s trips.
“If I have a choice on spending money on healthcare and spending money on research on dinosaur vocal cords, I’ll choose healthcare,” Flake said.
Earlier this year during a congressional recess, Republican lawmakers were met by rowdy crowds at town halls, upset over President Trump’s first few weeks in office.
