Congrats to the National Zero reader who called this, even if this development was about as unpredictable as putting baking soda and vinegar in a little plastic volcano. NBC News reports House Republican leaders on Tuesday told members to either cancel town halls or take other measures such as doing them virtual only or pre-vetting attendees. That last option seems particularly on-brand for the party, like only the loyal constituents are worthy of an audience.

“Obviously we’re very aware of those headlines,” an RNC official said, adding “I don’t know that a specific edict is going to come down from on high that they need to stop or anything, but a message I believe has been clearly sent that this narrative should end very soon. Probably the best way for that to happen is no more town halls. Elon Musk’s work still has the administration’s support, period.”

RNC adviser Danielle Alvarez, who may or may not have been the same person in the previous quote, told NBC in a statement that “The president’s policies are incredibly popular, and the American people applaud his success in cutting the waste, fraud and abuse of their hard-earned taxpayer dollars. Pathetic astroturf campaigns organized by out-of-touch, far-left groups are exactly why Democrats will keep losing.” Then again in a non-direct quote an anonymous RNC official said they can’t and won’t try to implement an impossible-to-enforce ban on holding town halls but that members are scared enough to simply stop holding publicly open events on their own.

The chief of staff to a House Republican in a deep-red district actually liked the rowdy protests because they helped fuel MAGA backlash back during Trump’s first midterm. “It’s 2018 all over again. The town halls, if anything, helped in districts like ours,” the deeply cynical piece of shit said.