Following the event, the congressman described the give-and-take as "the reality of democracy," which he fully embraces.

"It is my duty to listen to people," he said, "but we need to have space to be generous to one another."

"The reality is that a lot of people like his (Trump's) policies, but wish he would say things differently," Fortenberry said.

When the congressman ended the event after an hour in order to head to Fremont for a midafternoon town hall, there still were two dozen people standing in line to ask questions. But Fortenberry stayed behind to answer individual questions for another 20 minutes or so.

Expanding on his brief report a day earlier about his trip to view immigration enforcement activities at the Mexican border in El Paso, Texas, Fortenberry said he saw detention areas where people were housed.

"They were not concentration camps," he said.

Asked if they were overcrowded, the congressman said: "No, not now."

Town hall participants questioned Fortenberry about a range of topics, including environmental policy, concerns about protection of the nation's electoral process from Russian interference, trade policy, transportation concerns, health care and climate change.