North Carolina GOP town hall turns heated as self-described veteran escorted out by security

A North Carolina Republican Congressman’s town hall event grew heated after a man who identified himself as a veteran stood up and started shouting at him, yelling "you don't give a f--- about me!" before being escorted away by police. 

The outburst unfolded Thursday night at a college auditorium in Asheville during a gathering hosted by Rep. Chuck Edwards, who serves the state’s 11th District. 

"In my view, the debt crisis has been largely ignored far too long and the time is now to fix how Washington works. To that end, I was proud to vote recently for the House budget resolution which provides the framework," Edwards was heard telling the audience before being interrupted by boos and jeers. He then said, "And you wonder why folks don’t want to do these town halls." 

Moments later, a man in the audience started shouting at Edwards, saying "You have nothing to say but lies. You’re lying. I’m a veteran, and you don’t give a f--- about me!"  

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A man who identified himself as a veteran shouts at Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., as members of law enforcement escort him out of the building during a congressional town hall meeting on Thursday in Asheville, N.C. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

"You don’t get to take away our rights" the man continued to shout. "You don’t get to do this to us!" 

The audience in the room applauded as the man was removed from the room by law enforcement. 

"You f------ touch me again and I’ll lay you the f--- out!" the man said before exiting the area. 

Edwards later said on X that he had a "lively town hall with my constituents in Asheville." 

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Rep. Edwards speaks to the crowd during the town hall event in Asheville, N.C., on Thursday night. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Around 300 people attended the 1.5-hour long event, where Edwards answered questions on topics such as cuts orchestrated by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, according to the Associated Press. 

"Do you support the annexation of Canada and/or Greenland? And this is a yes or no question, I don’t want you to wander off into the woods, I don’t want to hear about your latest week in your office," Edwards was asked by one audience member, to which he replied "the short answer to that is no." 

Last week, President Donald Trump said "Paid ‘troublemakers’ are attending Republican Town Hall Meetings" and "It is all part of the game for the Democrats." 

A man shouts at Rep. Chuck Edwards during the event. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

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"We may not agree on every issue, but hearing the concerns of Western North Carolinians and answering your questions will continue to be a priority of mine," Edwards said.