'I'd do it again': NC congressman downplays events of Asheville town hall, plans to hold more

It was a tough crowd on Thursday for Congressman Chuck Edwards (R-NC), who hosted a town hall in Asheville in front of a rowdy audience frustrated with Donald Trump’s administration, less than two months into his second term as president.

Edwards started the town hall discussing western North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helene, which is still rebuilding from the storm.

The mood during the town hall turned when Edwards began expanding on Trump’s use of tariffs. As he explained, the crowd of 400 people began expressing their outrage, with one resident claiming to be a veteran escorted out of the event.

Edwards downplayed the tension, calling it a “lively crowd,” and said it won’t stop him from doing more.

“I’d do it again,” the congressman said. “I think it’s part of democracy for us to get together and discuss issues, even when we might disagree with one another.”

Threats of political violence rising amid testy town halls

Meantime, many Republican lawmakers, including Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), are canceling in-person town halls because of a rising threat of political violence.

The threats have been growing in recent years. Earlier last year, an Ohio man was charged with threatening to kill North Carolina Senator Todd Johnson (R-Cabarrus and Union) and his family.

On Thursday, WRAL News reported that state marshals were investigating alleged death threats sent to state Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin said violent threats made against state Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs.

Edwards’ town hall, while raucous at times, never turned violent against the congressman, even as those in attendance crowded his motorcade and banged on the doors as he left.

Western Carolina University political scientist Chris Cooper said it’s not hard to understand the concern many GOP senators and congressmen feel.

“If you just get online and look at the kinds of language that people are using, it is threatening violence more often,” Cooper said.

In some cases, the anger from frustration with elected officials in Trump's second term has turned into actual death threats. It was the reason Tillis gave for canceling all of his town hall events, with his office releasing some of the threatening voicemails the senator has received.

“Don’t he know that his employers can take an axe handle and cave his head in?” And his kids’ heads?” one voicemail said.

Cooper said the hostility is coming from both sides on the aisle.

“It’s ugly. It’s not what anybody wants,” he said. “I think we’re seeing that on social media. We’re seeing it in other places, too.”

Earlier this week, state lawmakers began debating a new proposal to make threatening local officials such as school board members or county commissioners a felony, just as it’s already a felony to threaten state officials. Rep. Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort, is leading the charge for that bill on behalf of one of his local county commissioners who reported being threatened during the 2024 elections.

Kidwell’s bill would also change the rules for anyone accused of threatening any politician, allowing them to be jailed for up to 48 hours with no bail, or to be involuntarily committed to a mental hospital if found to be dangerous due to psychological or substance abuse concerns.

Despite the increasing threats some politicians are facing, and other Republicans moving towards virtual town halls, Edwards said he will return to Asheville for more in–person events. The region was one of the hardest hit by Hurricane Helene in September and had nearly $59.6 billion in storm damages and record needs.

“I report to the people of western North Carolina,” he said. “I represent a community that was most devastated by Hurricane Helene than any in the nation. I feel like that is a time for us to get together."