Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., exited a town hall in his home district through the back door Wednesday night after he faced relentless heckling in Baldwin County.
Moore made the hasty departure after he responded to what a staffer announced would be the last question on the topic of the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts — as seen in a roughly 40-minute video from the advocacy group Indivisible Baldwin County — after he was repeatedly mocked and laughed at for his comments at the event in Daphne, a suburb of Mobile.
In the video, Moore did not offer concluding remarks or bid good night to the rowdy crowd as many chanted "Shame!"
Moore, who is running for Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s seat as Tuberville runs for governor, disputed that he had slipped out of the back door in an interview Thursday on “The Dale Jackson Show,” a conservative Alabama-based podcast and radio show.
“We left like any other event,” Moore said. “I think we tried to engage and answer questions, but unfortunately, it got hijacked.”
Moore said that he was “so calm” and that he “doesn’t mind facing the heat head on,” and he argued that the event had been swarmed by “some of the same bad actors” whom he had seen at other events.
Asked for additional comment Thursday night, Moore told NBC News in a statement: “My constituents asked me to do town halls, so I did four across my district while Congress was out of session. We showed up, listened, and answered questions directly."
“Alabamians deserve leaders who are willing to have tough conversations. I’ll always answer to the folks I serve. That’s what accountability looks like,” he added.
Moore was repeatedly grilled and interrupted as he tried to respond to people's questions that stemmed from their frustration over Medicaid cuts, rural hospitals, tariffs, immigration, abortion and the deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C.
Respite came briefly when people appeared to approve of Moore's comment that erasing history “is a bad thing” when he was asked about an ongoing effort to revise exhibits at the Smithsonian and efforts by the White House to ensure they align with President Donald Trump's vision.
Asked what he viewed as Trump's “most meaningful” accomplishment, Moore began praising his border security policies, which was met by laughter as town hall-goers jeered, "Next question."
People also challenged Moore's claims that cuts to Medicaid in Trump's megabill would affect only undocumented immigrants and accused him of "lying."
The crowd momentarily cheered on the topic of aid to Ukraine amid its war with Russia, drowning out Moore's stated opposition to the funding effort.
“I didn’t vote for any of that. I didn’t vote for any of that,” he said.
Moore was first elected to represent Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District in 2020. After redistricting in 2024, he defeated former Rep. Jerry Carl in the GOP primary and was elected to represent the 1st Congressional District, which encompasses Baldwin and parts of Mobile counties, among others.
Trump won Baldwin County with 78.4% of the vote in the 2024 presidential election.
Moore’s town hall experience Wednesday is not unique.
The few members of Congress who have held town halls during the August recess have been met by crowds of angry constituents and protesters.
That is true for both Republicans and Democrats, with people pressing lawmakers about immigration, Medicaid cuts, the war in Gaza and other issues. Congress returns to Washington on Tuesday.
