GRAND RAPIDS, MI — U.S. Rep. Justin Amash was greeted by a largely supportive audience Tuesday in Grand Rapids, drawing several standing ovations — but also a few heated questions — at his first town hall meeting since calling for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.

Speaking to an overflow crowd at Grand Rapids Christian High School, Amash, R-Cascade Township, outlined his support for impeachment proceedings and dispelled speculation that his criticism of Trump is aimed at boosting his profile for a potential third-party presidential challenge.

He also pushed back against the assertion, from one audience member, that he’s “demonizing” Trump and betraying the Republican party.

“The person that demonized people every day is Donald Trump,” Amash said, speaking to an estimated 700 to 800 attendees. “He’s the one demonizing people. He’s the one attacking people every day.”

The fifth-term congressman drew controversy earlier this month when he became the first Republican in Congress to call for impeachment proceedings against Trump in the wake of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into 2016 election interference. The investigation did not establish that Trump or any of his aides coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 election but left open the question of whether Trump obstructed justice.

Amash’s impeachment comments, made on Twitter, drew scorn from party leaders, and two people — State Rep. Jim Lower, R-Greenville, and Tom Norton, a former Sand Lake Village Trustee — now say they will challenge Amash in the August 2020 Republican primary.

On Tuesday, Amash opened the town hall meeting with a brief statement about his impeachment remarks and then launched into a roughly two-hour question-and-answer session. He said he supports impeachment proceedings against Trump because "Congress has a duty to keep the president in check.”

“I think we owe it to the American people to represent them, to ensure that the people we have in office are doing the right thing, are of good character, aren’t violating the public trust," Amash said, adding he would have the same stance on impeachment regardless of the president’s political party.

While many attendees praised Amash for standing up to Trump — several people thanked him for his “courage” — the meeting grew heated at times.

One such moment came when Diane Luke, 57, of Grand Rapids, was handed the microphone to ask a question. Wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, Luke said she has supported Amash since he first ran for Congress in 2010 but said the congressman’s impeachment comments were tantamount to a “smear attack” against the president and “violated the public trust.”

“How can you become a Democrat when we voted for you as a Republican,” said Luke, whose exchange with Amash drew jeers and boos from the audience.

Amash asked the crowd — several of whom told MLive.com they didn’t vote for Amash but respect his “principled” stance against Trump — to be respectful to people who disagree with him. He also, in response to Luke, defended his record as a conservative.

“I have one of the most constitutionally and fiscally conservative voting records in the whole Congress,” he said. “I have voted to spend less than any member of Congress in either chamber since I’ve been in Congress.”

Amash, a frequent critic of Trump, previously said he called for impeachment proceedings against Trump after “carefully” reading Mueller’s report. He said he also based his decision on “pertinent statements and testimony,” and “having discussed this matter with my staff, who thoroughly reviewed materials and provided me with further analysis.”

Another heated exchange was prompted by a remark from Anna Timmer, 33, of Grand Rapids. Timmer said she volunteered for Amash when he first ran for Congress, but now thinks he’s “failing” to do his job, “which is to directly represent the popular will of your constituents.”

“My job is to uphold the constitution,” Amash fired back.

Earlier in the meeting, Amash said he wasn’t concerned about the push back his comments have generated. He said over the past eight years he said he’s frequently encountered people who say, “Justin if you do this thing or that thing you will get voted out.”

“One of the big differences between me and them is I believe in the people I represent,” he said. “And I believe the people are smart enough to figure out what’s going on.”

Speculation has swirled in recent weeks that Amash is considering a third-party challenge to Trump. The congressman said he doesn’t “rule things out,” but added that if he were considering such a challenge, “this is not how I would do it.”

“I don’t think impeachment is the way to roll out some kind of announcement,” he said. “But again, I don’t rule things out. I think that in life if you’re fighting to defend the constitution and you find a way to do it that’s different and maybe more effective, then you have to think about that.”