Angry constituents confronted Missouri Republican Representative Mark Alford during a rare GOP town hall on Monday. Voters accused the legislator of being more loyal to MAGA Republican President Donald Trump than to the people he's supposed to represent in Congress.
One attendee from Bolivar, Missouri, farmer and former firefighter Fred Higginbotham, drew cheers for his no-nonsense comments to Alford. Higginbotham said he inherited his family's farm, but was struggling to stay afloat.
Higginbotham told the Republican Representative:
"I am pissed and I am pissed at you. Get Trump out of office."
"The man is a dictator. He knows nothing about what he talks about. I listened to him for about a half hour today and I got sick at all the lies he brought up.”
He asked Alford, a former Kansas City news anchor:
"Do you think we're idiots? Do you think we don't pay taxes?"
Higginbotham added:
"You know nothing about what a working class citizen does."
“You need to take your head out of Trump’s a** and start doing your representation of us."
You can watch the moment here:
People concurred with Higginbotham's statements about the GOP and the current POTUS.
This is really heartbreaking. Do none of these ELECTED officials care about the people they are supposed to be looking out for, working for?This man was calm and articulate, I really hope his representative heard him and finds his conscience.
— BettyBelle (@aloveyeti.bsky.social) August 25, 2025 at 11:56 PM
@hey.rupert.murdoch/Bluesky
@StephanieOvers7/X
It feels good knowing there are salt of the earth patriots out here doing the work and making themselves known
— Sensei Denny B (@dennisbruno.bsky.social) August 26, 2025 at 8:48 AM
@dannylucas; @madisonj/Bluesky
@gwchilly/Bluesky
I thought this gentleman expressed himself extremely well. It would have been too easy to lose control and become emotional. He is absolutely correct. I hope the rest of Republican America is also beginning to realise the appalling consequences of electing Trump. They need to remove him from office
— pete-w.bsky.social (@pete-w.bsky.social) August 26, 2025 at 4:01 AM
@jude1317/Bluesky
I'm surprised to see these GQP reps having a Town Hall at least he listened but did he hear the farmers needs and will do something to change the State of MO time will tell
— FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE (@jojo627.bsky.social) August 26, 2025 at 12:13 AM
A key difference between the GOP of the late 90s & 2000s vs the GOP today is the one that exists today believes Fox News entirely. So they believe these people showing up to say how unhappy they are with their representative’s actions must be paid actors and constituents that are pissed at them.
— Ronin (@roninchaos.bsky.social) August 26, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Nah. There are fewer true believers and more disgusting opportunists in MO GOP than it seems.
— Lisa Rokusek (@lisarokusek.bsky.social) August 26, 2025 at 9:19 AM
I would mostly agree, but I am seeing this behavior a lot more. These aren’t opportunists, they really believe that these are paid actors or people who are just there to stir up trouble. It lets the dodge accountability and reinforce the narrative that they’re on the right side of history.
— Ronin (@roninchaos.bsky.social) August 26, 2025 at 10:16 AM
@bbrooks1/Bluesky
@typicaltimothy/X
Once cozied up to Trump, Alford appeared to want to distance himself from the President during his town hall.
Speaking to his constituents at all is already a departure from most of his fellow Republicans.
GOP leadership, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, advised their rank and file to avoid voters as much as possible because their constituents probably don't like what Trump and the GOP are doing.
Republicans seem to think they can hide until the 2026 midterm elections and that voters will forget their grievances by then.
As a political strategy, it doesn't seem to be going well.