Holland - In an era where many politicians prefer carefully curated social media posts and pre-screened virtual meetings, U.S. Congressman Bill Huizenga did something refreshingly old-school on Friday: he walked out of his office and talked to the people. Yep, in person. On the sidewalk.

Protests have been popping up regularly outside Huizenga’s Holland office—some organized, some not—mostly calling for an in-person town hall and voicing opposition to former President Trump (whom Huizenga still supports, by the way—more on that later). Huizenga faced them head-on.

“We spent a little over 45 minutes with folks,” he said. “It was an interesting mix—some concerned citizens, some Democrats, Indivisible people—just a good old-fashioned, messy, democratic conversation.”

And no, it wasn’t a photo op or some stage-managed performance—it was an actual, unscripted conversation. There wasn’t even media present—just a few cell phones quietly capturing snippets of the back-and-forth. No spotlight, no press pool, just a congressman talking to his constituents the way it used to be done: face-to-face.

The conversation covered everything from Social Security, Elon Musk, DOGE, NATO to foreign affairs and education. And while there wasn’t a kumbaya moment, Huizenga noted they still found common ground on protecting the Great Lakes and education. It turns out, respectful disagreement is still possible—even refreshing.

At one point, a middle-aged man in the crowd added his own touch of political commentary by dismissing two assassination attempts on President Trump as “fake.” Watch the footage if you don’t believe it—just another curveball in an already spirited exchange. Welcome to politics in 2025.

For those demanding a “real” town hall, Huizenga had a clear message: he’s already out there. Between public events over the weekend, a recent round of telephone town halls that reached nearly 100,000 people, and 37,000 constituent email replies in just two months, he’s not exactly phoning it in (well… except when he actually is on a phone town hall).

And no, he's not screening out dissent. In fact, he welcomes it. “We’re looking for those who disagree so that we can have a productive conversation,” he said. That’s how grown-ups handle politics, folks.

The Ottawa County Democratic Party tried to downplay the moment, contrasting Huizenga’s sidewalk chat with Rep. Hillary Scholten’s polished town hall across town. But let’s be completly honest—anyone can work a mic in a friendlier venue. It takes real guts to step into the middle of a protest and say, “Let’s talk.”

Yes, Huizenga still supports President Trump. No, he doesn’t apologize for it. You may not always agree with Congressman Huizenga, but you can’t accuse him of hiding. He’s out there—on the street, in the inbox, on the phone—doing the work. No camera crews. No script.

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