That's not cheese you're smelling in the Wisconsin air. It's Astroturf.
Friday's Morning Joe played an extended clip from a town hall held by Republican Congressman Bryan Steil in his 1st Congressional District of Wisconsin (Paul Ryan's old seat in the southeast corner of the state).
Steil was unfailingly polite, to the point of saying that he welcomed disagreement. But that didn't earn him an ounce of grace from the audience, which was raucously hostile to him, with repeated booing and jeering. He couldn't get through his first sentence aired without being interrupted by the Democrat crowd.
What did they hate? Deportations, for one, which Jonathan Lemire characterized as anger over "the deportations of their neighbors, particularly by masked ICE agents." Steil could barely get through a sentence expressing his disagreement with "the moral hazard created by the Biden administration."
Every single comment or question shown from people in attendance was negative. Not one expression of support for Steil, Trump, or Republican policies. That could have been deceptive editing by Morning Joe, but it seems unlikely given the overwhelming opposition to Steil apparent when the audience's reactions were shown.
This despite Steil winning the 2024 election by over 10 points, and Trump winning in all but one of the counties in the district, one by 22 points. One man, vowing to work against him in any future election, told Steil that he did not represent Walworth County. Ya mean, the Walworth County that Steil carried by 28 POINTS?
The town hall had the unmistakable whiff of an Astroturf effort against Steil and Trump. But Democrat operative Jen Palmieri professed ignorance as to whether the Democrats had organized it, or if the anger was "organic."
Riiight.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported "Steil received a smattering of support throughout the night, and some attendees shouted at others to stop interrupting the Republican." The story concluded: "Perhaps the only bipartisan applause from the crowd came when several people thanked Steil for showing up in person."
There was a dead giveaway that the town hall drew a Dem-orchestrated crowd. Jonathan Lemire mentioned that Steil began his town hall with the Pledge of Allegiance, during which the crowd emphasized the last words, "and justice for all." Think about it. It's inconceivable that everyone in the crowd, individually and spontaneously, with no coaching by a Dem operative, decided to emphasize the last phrase of the Pledge.
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
8/1/25
6:20 am EDTJONATHAN LEMIRE: One Republican congressman ventured beyond the Beltway and went back to his district in Wisconsin, where he was met with consistent boos and jeers during a town hall last night in his home district over his support for President Trump's policies.
Congressman Bryan Steil began his town hall in the town of Elkhorn with the Pledge of Allegiance, during which the crowd emphasized the last words, "and justice for all."
Striking moment there. Later, several attendees expressed their disappointment with the congressman, including one person who asked why he was not stopping ICE raids by masked agents targeting immigrants.
TOWN HALL ATTENDEE #1: Why are they wearing masks, and why are they unidentified? [audience cheers]
BRYAN STEIL: We'll probably agree to disagree on some of my answer here, but what I view is the moral hazard created by the Biden administration by allowing [loud booing] US southern border to remain [inaudible.] [Audience jeers]
It's completely fine that we disagree. There's nothing wrong with disagreeing on the topic [angry shouts from the audience.] President Biden had a different view than I did on the importance of securing the U.S.-Mexico border [booing]. But as millions of illegal immigrants came into the United States and there was a lack of action by the federal government, you're now seeing that action take place with the removal, particularly, of individuals who are in the country illegally.
TOWN HALL ATTENDEE #2: I am so disappointed [loud shout: yeah!]. I am so disappointed in how you represent us as the citizens of Walworth County. Southeast Wisconsin has not been represented by you. President Trump seems to run southeast Wisconsin through you. And all I have to ask is, I will be out there working hard if you choose to run for any office.
TOWN HALL ATTENDEE #3: I don't think you're the right fit for us anymore. [cheering] You just don't relate to most of us anymore, and you got to know when to step down. I think it's time.
LEMIRE: That was Congressman Steil's first town hall since the passage of the Republicans' budget mega bill, the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill.
Jen Palmieri, we've talked a lot about how Republicans, during this August recess, are going to go home and face tough questions. This congressman certainly did.
And it's striking, though, about what he was asked about. We wondered if Epstein would come up sometime, certainly cuts to Medicaid and the like, but this one in particular seemed to really draw the constituents' anger over immigration, the deportations of their neighbors, particularly by masked ICE agents.
Do we think what this congressman saw in Wisconsin last night is coming attractions for what his colleagues will throughout this next month?
JEN PALMIERI: If they have the nerve to do the town halls, right?
I mean, what's interesting about that, there's one of two things happening in that town hall.
