Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Monday lauded her fellow Democrats for “showing up” while Republicans are “hiding” from the American people, referring to the GOP’s avoidance of in-person town halls.
Warren, in an interview with MSNBC’s Alicia Menendez, weighed in on the large numbers of rally goers attending fellow Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) gatherings across the country, intended to combat the Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to overhaul the federal workforce.
“Democrats are actually showing up to listen to people, to rally with people, while Republicans are hiding and being told by their leadership, don’t go out in public, don’t have any town halls, because you might hear how much people don’t like what you’re doing,” Warren said.
Her remarks come as House Republicans were encouraged to hold more phone or livestreamed town halls after activists have rocked several in-person events. Constituents and protestors alike have expressed frustration about efforts by Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and key ally Elon Musk to slash federal spending.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and President Trump have both argued the protesters were “paid” actors funded by Democrats.
Sanders, who has been speaking out against wealth inequality for decades, has taken his message directly to the American people in recent weeks. He’s hosted town halls and rallies in Midwest states, particularly in what he called unstable Republican Congressional Districts, to criticize the administration and DOGE, arguing that they are working against the public.
Sanders has seen great success at the rallies, with thousands in attendance. Warren said on air that the Vermont senator is rallying around the energy of the American people who did not vote for what the administration is currently doing.
“People are showing up because Donald Trump, last Tuesday night, said that he’s doing all the things he’s doing because that’s what the American people voted for. And I think people are showing up to say ‘man, we didn’t vote for this,” she said. “We didn’t vote for Elon Musk, and we didn’t vote to take away nursing home care from seniors.”
“We didn’t vote to undercut our teachers, our students and our public schools,” she continued. “We didn’t vote to say that little babies were not going to get access to the health care that they need.”
The Massachusetts Democrat added, “People all over this country are saying ‘we want a government that works for us, not just for a handful of millionaires.’ That’s what this rally was about.”
