MAGA Representative Defends Himself Amid Laughter from College Students: 'You Can Murmur All You Want'

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) encountered a wave of laughter and skepticism from Belmont University students during a town hall meeting in Nashville on Monday, where he defended controversial statements made in the past.

“It’s delightfully ironic that he’s here. He just strikes me as a charlatan and a grifter, and I’ve been sorely underwhelmed and unhappy with him,” remarked student Nelson Hester, expressing the sentiments of many in attendance.

Ogles, who previously faced backlash for asserting that “Muslims don’t belong in American society,” was invited by the College Republicans at Belmont University, less than a year after he called for a federal investigation into the school over its diversity initiatives.

Opening the meeting, Ogles referenced the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, claiming that security was “more relaxed, arguably, than it has been historically.”

His assertion that “there were no assassination attempts” on President Biden or President Obama, contrasted with multiple attempts against President Trump, triggered murmurs from the audience. “You can murmur all you want,” Ogles retorted.

A student quickly interjected, “Sir, there was an assassination attempt on Obama,” likely alluding to the 2011 shooting incident directed at the White House. Ogles dismissed this with, “Not a real one,” which drew laughter from the crowd.

As the discussion progressed, another student challenged Ogles’ claim that the U.S. military is the “dominant predator across all landscapes.” “I’m sorry, man, we haven’t won a war since World War II,” he stated, prompting further laughter.

Ogles responded defensively, “What I can tell you is, you’re safe tonight. You can have your opinions, which are arguably different than mine because of that same military that is willing to die for you, and so you might want to show them a bit of respect, and if not, you’re welcome to leave.”

The atmosphere intensified when a student raised concerns about Palantir’s AI partnership with the Israeli military, claiming it was being used to “basically kill off children.” Ogles replied, “I don’t know that there’s any evidence of that,” demanding the student to “cite a source.”

As the student attempted to respond, Ogles interrupted, stating, “Look, there’s lots of rumors and conspiracy theories on both sides, right, but you make the claim, give me something specific so I can look into it.” This exchange highlighted the tension as students began to challenge Ogles on his own sources.

Another student confronted him directly: “Do you believe that it’s fair that you’re asking him to cite his sources when you’ve been making claims and not citing your own?” Ogles repeatedly interrupted her as she tried to finish her point.

“You were saying things, and you were not citing the sources, your sources, and you were asking that he cite his. That is not a good-faith dialogue,” she asserted.

Later, Ogles shared a video showing students protesting outside the town hall with the caption, “This is what violent Leftist rhetoric has inspired on American college campuses.”