Branchburg (New Jersey), Feb. 24 (Reuters): US Representative Leonard Lance, who has held more than 40 town hall-style meetings with constituents in his central New Jersey district, has never faced a crowd like he did on Wednesday.

The Republican endured catcalls, chants and caustic questions from more than 1,000 residents at a local college, while hundreds of others outside brandished signs with messages like "Resist Trump".

Parallel scenes have played out across the country this week during the first congressional recess since Donald Trump became President. Republican lawmakers returning home confronted a wave of anger over a spectrum of issues, including immigration, healthcare and Trump's possible ties to Russia.

The raucous meetings are the latest in a relentless series of rallies, marches and protests that shows no signs of abating.

The anti-Trump energy has prompted talk of a liberal-style Tea Party movement, in reference to the protests in 2009 that helped reshape the Republican Party and arguably laid the groundwork for Trump's surprise electoral victory last year.

"Some of the lessons to draw from that are persistence, repetition, not taking 'no' for an answer," said Victoria Kaplan, the organising director for the grassroots progressive group MoveOn.

Since the day after Trump's inauguration, when millions of protesters joined women's marches worldwide, Left-wing organisers have sought to harness that anger to fuel a lasting political campaign. Hundreds of progressive groups have sprung up across the country - some affiliated with national organisations like Indivisible.