From Tariffs to Protests: Will TX-3 Voters Turn Up the Heat on Keith Self?

Things may still look Ruby-red on the maps of Collin County, but Congressman Keith Self might want to pause, lick a finger, and hold it up to the wind — because the political forecast is shifting, and it’s carrying the scent of protest signs and barbecue smoke.

📣 Red States, Loud Rumbles

On April 5, the nationwide “Hands Off!” protests swept across all 50 states, and some of the most energized demonstrations happened in red-state strongholds. Gainesville, Georgia? Packed. Bozeman, Montana? Loud. Salt Lake City? Practically vibrating with Medicare-loving retirees and military families clutching handmade signs.

Even good ol’ Texas didn’t stay quiet. Thousands marched on the Capitol in Austin. And while official reports haven’t confirmed large organized protests in TX-3’s backyard, the statewide energy was palpable — with social media lighting up from suburban counties including Denton, Plano, and McKinney. Texans of all stripes voiced frustrations over rising costs, federal service cuts, and the growing influence of unelected billionaires on public policy. These weren’t latte-sipping liberals. These were retirees, veterans, and small business owners tired of watching billionaires cash in while their grocery bills balloon.

🤔 TX-3: Where the Billionaires Cash In and You Pay Up

Congressman Self clings to the Trump-Musk playbook like it’s laminated and duct-taped to the underside of his desk. Tariffs? Sure, let’s make everything more expensive! Musk as “efficiency czar”? A genius move — if your goal is to run government like a tech startup, minus the stock options for the rest of us.

Here’s the rub: while Elon Musk is cashing government checks and building rockets in Bastrop, local manufacturers and business in TX-3 are sweating over how higher costs to run their business will squeeze the little margin they are fighting to get. Tariffs will increase prices for machine shops and construction crews. State grants? They’re being funneled to Tesla’s billion-dollar expansion projects — not to your hard earned family business off 75.

And middle-class families? They’re playing a losing round of grocery aisle roulette, praying eggs haven’t crossed into luxury-item territory. Meanwhile, Congressman Self is busy retweeting how Trump Tariffs are going to make us richer, some day!

🧠 The Musk-Trump Tango: Looks Cool, Dances Ugly

Yes, Musk is a visionary. Rockets, robots, memes — he’s got it all. But here’s the thing: his kind of “efficiency” looks a lot like layoffs, agency closures, and public dollars funneling into private moonshots. And that “government modernization”? For TX-3, it means the IRS or social security office gets gutted while SpaceX gets a $17 million check to build satellites in another county.

So when Rep. Self cheers these policies, one has to wonder — who’s he clapping for?

🏛️ Protest Signs Don’t Vote… But Their Owners Do

April 5 wasn’t Woodstock, and it wasn’t just “the left.” It was a cross-section of America: fathers, angry moms, veterans in lawn chairs, and seniors who know what a pension is supposed to look like. They’re mad, they’re organized, and they’re paying attention.

Congressman Self may think TX-3 is safely in his pocket, but if yesterday’s protests — and the wake-up calls from recent elections in Florida and Wisconsin — are any indication, that pocket’s got a hole in it. People here want real representation, not soundbites and sycophancy. They want good-paying jobs, lower taxes, affordable groceries, and for their retirees to be taken care of — not rocket ships.

Just ask Gainesville. Or Bozeman. Or Salt Lake City. Or better yet, take a walk through a Collin County hardware store and see how folks feel when they can’t afford the parts to finish a job.

The wind’s blowing, Congressman. Hope you’ve got your weather report.