Utah is having a bit of a moment in the national spotlight.
On Thursday night, Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz hosted a town hall meeting at Brighton High School, where the Republican fielded questions from almost 1,000 angry and distraught Utahns who questioned how he plans to govern in the time of Trump.
Crowds both inside and outside the high school auditorium chanted at Chaffetz, yelling phrases like “do your job” and “you work for us,” according to the Deseret News.
“If we don’t make a difference, we won’t matter,” Barry Rasmussen, who attended the event, told the Deseret News. “If we’re not here letting somebody know how we feel, how are they going to know?”
National media were paying attention, with CNN airing portions of the event well into the night. The online publication Slate and NPR reported on the "boos and jeers." The Chicago Tribune said the Utah crowd "grill(ed)" Chaffetz. The Huffington Post (and The Daily Dot) called the crowd “raucous,” while The Week said the gathering was “ticked-off.”
The Utah representative has faced some criticism about how he handles the Trump administration. Vox’s editor-in-chief Ezra Klein wrote earlier this week that Chaffetz’s lack of ability to investigate Trump so far may make the president more powerful than he should be.
The chants of “do your job!” may have drawn the most attention throughout the night. It became the headline not just in the Deseret News, but also on Fox News, Vox, UPROXX and NBC News.
Utahns who attended the event also received time in the spotlight, as social media users shared and reshared the comments made during the event.
1. Former Utah teacher asks Chaffetz about his 'line in the sand'
One former teacher’s question to Chaffetz received more than 7,000 retweets. She asked Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, where he draws the line before he investigates Trump.
2. Crowd reacts and shouts at Chaffetz
Another man’s comment to get rid of Chaffetz also received attention with more than 1,400 retweets.
A clip of Chaffetz saying there isn’t a reason to investigate Trump also drew fire.
And the rowdy Utah crowd implored the fire marshal to allow those outside into the event.
3. The protesters wait and chant outside
The Twitter account @Cachedout also criticized the Utah representative, channeling the messages of many of the attendees.
4. Police officer champions to peaceful protesters
And this police officer’s reaction to the peaceful protesters — who waited patiently outside, according to The Hill — also gained a following.
5. All the jokes told on Twitter
Those at the event also tweeted out jokes and interesting tidbits.
6. Chaffetz tries to calm down crowd with humor
Chaffetz tried his best to calm attendees with humor.
7. One positive moment for Chaffetz
Chaffetz earned a positive reaction for one aspect of the night. According to NBC News, he said for the second time (read about the first time here) on Thursday that Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway’s advice to buy Ivanka Trump merchandize was “wrong, wrong, wrong.”
8. Chaffetz not the only politician under fire
Chaffetz wasn’t the only representative to face ire from town hall attendees Thursday night. According to UPI, Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., hosted a crowd to talk about the Affordable Care Act. She was booed out of the building.
This question from the event went super viral with more than 18,000 retweets and 34,000 likes.