Donald Trump Called 'Megalomaniac' By Angry Local at Republican Town Hall

S E E D E D   C O N T E N T

President Donald Trump faced intense criticism from local residents during a regular constituency town hall meeting for Republican Representative Rich McCormick in his Georgia district on Thursday, one person labeling him a "megalomaniac."

During the meeting, many constituents harshly criticized the Republican lawmaker for backing the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), particularly its plan for massive federal layoffs and budget cuts.

It comes after nearly 1,300 probationary employees at the nearby Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta were told they were being forced out last week.

Newsweek has contacted Representative McCormick for comment via email.

Why It Matters

The anger at the town hall meeting expressed toward Trump and McCormick comes amid mass firings of probationary workers across multiple federal agencies, including the CDC, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Education, launched by the Trump administration, with 77,000 employees opting into a federal buyout program since January. Such cuts were a key campaign promise of Trump's, who won 51 percent of the vote in Georgia.

What To Know

During the meeting, one person told McCormick he had done a "disservice" and had failed to "stand up for us" by supporting the cuts.

Another attendee criticized recent cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asking, "Why is the supposedly conservative party taking such a radical and extremist and sloppy approach to this?" McCormick responded that "a lot of the work they do is duplicitous with AI."

McCormick on layoffs of hundreds of employees at Atlanta-based CDC, saying some are "duplicitous" because of AI pic.twitter.com/RCUNHL9LQ7
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) February 21, 2025

He added: "If we continue to grow the size of government and we can't afford it, it's going to have shortfalls in your Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security." An attendee then fired back, accusing the administration of using a "chain saw approach" to layoffs and rushing the process, saying the layoff effort was being "jammed down the pipe, so rushed and sloppily."

McCormick then hit back, insisting that agencies decide whom to cut based on headcount directives. However, the crowd was not impressed, with attendees shouting "No!", and one person yelling: "Elon Musk is deciding." Others were heard declaring "we're pissed" and "don't bend over," and chanting "shame."

The Georgia Republican then hit back: "Nobody can hear when you're yelling" as he struggled to respond to the interruptions.

In another instance, an attendee asked McCormick how he plans to "rein in the megalomaniac in the White House." They also referenced a post by Trump on his Truth Social account where he applauded his administration's decision to terminate federal approval of New York's congestion pricing program.

"CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED," Trump wrote. "LONG LIVE THE KING!"

In response, McCormick said: "When you talk about tyranny, when you talk about presidential power, I remember having the same discussion with Republicans when Biden was elected," which was met with boos by the audience.

"I don't want to see any president be too powerful," McCormick added.

The town hall took place in Roswell, a suburb of Atlanta, and part of a congressional district where McCormick won nearly 65 percent of the vote in November.

McCormick recently made headlines when he suggested that children taking part in school lunch programs "sponge off the government."

It comes as some critics have accused Trump of exceeding his constitutional authority during his first weeks in office.

Since beginning his second presidential term a month ago, Trump has signed over 60 executive orders, including several directives that have been challenged in court and blocked by judges.

Those have included attempts to fire over 2,700 USAID workers and recall most stationed abroad, which has now been temporarily blocked by a federal judge.

Earlier this week, he signed an executive order essentially declaring legal authority over independent agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission, stating that only he and the attorney general could interpret law for the executive branch.

He is also reportedly preparing an executive order to eliminate the Education Department, delivering on one of his key campaign promises. Trump cannot unilaterally abolish a federal agency without the approval of Congress.

What People Are Saying

Tim Hogan, a former communications director for Senator Amy Klobuchar, wrote on X: "Town hall crowd in an R+30 district furious with their congressman over DOGE insanity. Reaping and sowing, here we go."

Aaron Fritschner, deputy chief of staff to Representative Don Beyer, wrote on X: "After getting booed for defending DOGE cuts, McCormick (a Republican from Georgia) is trying to sell the constituents at his town hall on cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. It's going about how you'd expect."

Republican Senator Susan Collins said: "I think many of these firings are indiscriminate. We should wait until Cabinet members are confirmed and can take a careful look at their agencies' needs, rather than doing these sweeping indiscriminate cuts. The fact that workers were let go who are working on avian flu, and the fact that workers have also been fired who are responsible for nuclear safety, shows that we need a far more careful approach.

What Happens Next

Trump's executive orders are currently facing legal action, which is expected to continue.

President Donald Trump reacts as he arrives on Air Force One at Miami International Airport, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. President Donald Trump reacts as he arrives on Air Force One at Miami International Airport, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/AP