House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed that town hall attendees were all “paid protesters” during a CNN interview, but he provided no evidence for this assertion. Republican Rep. Mark Alford stated that some protesters at his event could not be his actual constituents, labeling them as “outside agitators.”

GOP leaders have implied that public disagreement stems from corrupt schemes rather than genuine backlash against their policies.

Historical patterns show that Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have previously dismissed protests as orchestrated by “paid agitators.”