Sen. Andy Kim faced both hecklers and celebrity treatment as he talked Trump and Israel at a Cherry Hill town hall
Kim’s town hall drew nearly 400 people at his alma mater.
Sen. Andy Kim called town halls a “quintessential American tradition.” That was shortly before he found himself walking up the aisle of the packed Cherry Hill East High School auditorium toward a man heckling him 10 minutes into his town hall Tuesday night, which drew nearly 400 people.
“Yes, sir, did you want to say something to me?” Kim (D., N.J.) asked the man, who stood up from his seat and shouted in defense of President Donald Trump while wearing a shirt with an expletive before “Hamas.”
After Kim calmed the crowd, he went on to paraphrase the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “Let’s not try to quench our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”
“That doesn’t mean that we lower our water or lower the intensity by which we want to protect our country, but it just allows us to take that breath,” he added.
Kim then spent half an hour laying out his concerns that Trump is abusing his power and undercutting the separation of powers laid out in the Constitution.
To many in the audience, Kim was a celebrity. He was in comfortable territory at his high school alma mater, where the student who introduced him called him a “legend.” She said that Kim makes her proud to be an American, and that he offers “light” in uncertain political times.
He was greeted with roaring applause as he entered the room shortly after 7 p.m. Someone yelled that they loved him, another thanked him. Throughout the night, he was warmly embraced by many attendees.
Kim took questions for about an hour and a half, both in the town hall format and from audience members who huddled around him after the event.
Disagreement over Kim’s vote on Israel
The most contentious issue of the night: Israel.
Kim joined 13 other Senate Democrats earlier this month in an unsuccessful vote to withhold military aid for Israel in an effort spearheaded by Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, pleasing some constituents and frustrating others.
One attendee booed another who said Kim exhibited “moral clarity” with his vote. Others shouted “Free Palestine” after a man defended Israel.
Kim said he is concerned that Trump’s and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to Gaza — like talking about a “Gaza Riviera” — is “very dangerous” and discounts previous progress toward “any sense of regional normalization” in the Middle East.
He argued that the “resumption of violence” fuels Hamas’ ability to regroup and that “there is no purely military-only solution” that would fully dismantle the terrorist organization. He said while a two-state solution is currently “far … from reality,” that “doesn’t and should not stop us from trying to pursue” lasting peace.
“I don’t want you to read into my actions as saying that there is an easy solution to what is happening,” Kim said.
‘America First,’ or ‘America alone?’
Kim said he is concerned that Trump’s “America First” foreign policy views will result in a weaker “America alone.”
He cited a private conversation in which a foreign leader questioned whether he could count on the United States fulfilling NATO’s collective defense clause. Kim said he could not give him assurance. Soon after, Trump publicly questioned the pact.
“Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, you cannot say right now that we are a reliable partner,” Kim said. “That is so sad.”
He said he views cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department as shrinking “our capacity to lead.”
“We cannot take for granted our strength and our capacity to be able to be a global leader,” Kim said. “Otherwise, we will see how quickly that goes away.”
Concerns ranging from tariffs to town halls, and transgender rights
One attendee encouraged Kim to do more town halls in Republican-leaning districts.
Another said she is nervous about the impact of tariffs on her small business.
One advocate wanted Kim’s support on legislation to require age verification for pornography, and a military veteran expressed concern about her medical data being accessed by the Department of Government Efficiency.
A transgender activist said she is afraid of the anti-transgender sentiment embraced by the Trump administration.
“I wish I had words to be able to give you and others comfort, saying that we can guarantee that sense of safety,” Kim said. “But as we said, when we live in dangerous times, I don’t want to say things that I cannot say with 100% truth, and I think that’s what makes this such a scary moment.”