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The Trump effect has been awful from the very start. Whether in local or international politics, his influence has sparked hate, arguments, and a steady stream of casual white lies. Just about everyone has tried to push back — unless, of course, they stood to gain something. Others have opted for silence, hoping to avoid making an enemy of Donald Trump while also avoiding any visible alignment with his policies. A recent town hall in the suburbs of New York City suggests that this tightrope act may no longer be tenable.
According to Newsweek, Republicans across the country have been met with heckling as they struggle to defend various unpopular Trump policies, such as the gutting of federal jobs. New York Republican Representative Mike Lawler was the latest to face the music when constituents at a town hall pressed him on Trump-era stances — specifically, whether he opposed what one attendee called “the lawless administration.”
The exact series of events at the town hall is still disputed. Lawler claims that a constituent named Emily Feiner repeatedly engaged in abusive and combative behavior, prompting her removal from the event. But video of the incident quickly made the rounds on social media, with at least one widely shared post asserting that Feiner had merely asked about tariffs, calling her ejection “shameful.”
A woman who asked about Trump’s tariff plan was lifted out of her seat and carried away at Mike Lawler’s town hall meeting. Shameful. pic.twitter.com/QtyT4theOt
— Eugene (@BreakingNews4X) May 5, 2025
Per Newsweek, Lawler is often viewed as a centrist. He represents a district that elected a Republican congressman but leaned toward Kamala Harris in the presidential race. That tight political balancing act has made Lawler’s every word and silence matter — especially as speculation grows that he may one day run for governor.
It’s with that context that Feiner, a former social worker, posed her questions. According to her Bluesky post, she asked if Lawler opposed Trump’s lawlessness. When he refused to answer, she called him out — and was promptly escorted out. Feiner later emphasized that she posed no threat to anyone. In the video of her ejection, other attendees can be heard shouting “Let her stay!” — suggesting that others present didn’t feel threatened either.
Trump, for his part, responded to the heckling in GOP town halls in characteristic fashion. On his social media platform, he claimed that “radical left Democrats” are paying people “a great fortune” to disrupt Republican events — though, as usual, he offered no evidence. Maybe he’s too busy playing pretend pope, or brainstorming new ways to sabotage Hollywood for the unforgivable sin of not praising him as much as he thinks he deserves, to actually look for any.
American politics has never been more divisive, and much of that can be traced directly back to Trump. What’s becoming increasingly clear is that politicians who try to play both sides — keeping their heads down to avoid angering party elites — may not be able to navigate today’s political landscape for much longer. The midterms are almost here, and it seems a lot of politicians will have to go back to the drawing board.
Feiner’s moment may not have been historic, but it was certainly symbolic. In this climate, you either call out the lawlessness, or you get called out.