Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) yelled Monday at a town hall meeting in Estro, Florida, where he defended many of President Donald Trump’s agenda items, including the Department of Government Efficiency Cuts Federal Spending and Elimination of Diversity Initiative.
“Do you want to shout or listen?” Donals asked the crowd at one point.
Rep. Byron Donalds held a town hall in Estero, Florida, which is getting hotter. Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg by Getty Images
Donalds was endorsed by Trump to replace limited-term Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who defended the president’s agenda against a mixed crowd, some criticized and others praised the administration’s initiatives.
At one point, the crowd interrupted Donald's defense of Elon Musk.
“I want to answer you…but do you want to allow me to answer this question?” Donald said to a dissatisfied member of the crowd. He then argued that he was part of his House Oversight Committee had to allow Doge to “get the job.”
Donalds praised the Trump administration for taking its own success in the banking industry as an example to end efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion programs. He went on to say that the idea that black kids “cannot succeed if it’s not for dei” is a lie.
“For those who think it's not a competitive environment of the level of life, guess what it is. There's no competitive environment of the level of life. This is life. It doesn't exist. Let's be real about it,” Donals said, with some members of the crowd applauding.
Donalds grew increasingly frustrated when another city hall member asked him if he had read Isabel Wilkerson, a non-fiction book in Caste, who believed that America was based on a hierarchical social structure based on race.
“Sir, don't teach me about my life,” Donald said.
He added: “I like everyone yelling at me, black people on the stage holding a microphone in their hands.”
According to NBC News, dozens of people left the town hall when Donalds spoke.
At the end of the event, he clashed with a listener who shouted in protest of U.S. support for Israel, calling the woman “rude and disrespectful.”
“Ms., you are disrespectful, I will respect you, I will respect the fact that you are trying to get an answer here, but if you are going to stick to this and keep disrespectful, it's time for you to get rid of it,” Donals said.
The woman was escorted out but chanted “Free Palestine” as she left the room.
“You're not the only one who has a point of view in this room,” Donalds said. “If you want to yell, then I'll respond with kindness because you have to respect people. You won't take over the room. Sorry, but you don't. You don't take over the room.”
