With political tensions running high, the vast majority of congressional lawmakers steered clear of town halls this summer. The handful who entered the lion’s den were met with boos, jeers and tense confrontations.

At 25 town halls across the country that were viewed or attended by NBC News this summer, voters pressured Democrats to deploy more aggressive tactics as they battle Trump and took them to task over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Meanwhile, Republicans faced hostile crowds over their support for Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” his nationwide immigration crackdown and his deployment of federal forces to Washington, D.C.