President Donald Trump is intensifying his attacks on Representative Thomas Massie, urging his supporters to vote out the “worst Congressman in the long and storied history of the Republican Party” in Kentucky’s primary election on Tuesday.
Trump’s Social Media Blast
“He is an obstructionist and a fool,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday morning. “Vote him out of office tomorrow, Tuesday. It will be a great day for America!”
Despite Massie’s consistent conservative voting record on many high-profile issues that Trump has championed, the president’s ire has been sparked by Massie’s opposition to the so-called Big Beautiful Bill and his stance against the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran. Additionally, Trump and Massie have clashed publicly over the Justice Department’s sluggish release of government files concerning the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a longtime associate of Trump.
Epstein Files Dispute
Massie, joined by Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), led a House initiative to challenge the Trump administration’s obstruction and compel the release of the Epstein files, which Trump has dismissed as a “Democrat hoax.” While the documents do not appear to implicate Trump in any criminal activity, his name is mentioned repeatedly.
Trump has spent much of the past year targeting Massie for his lack of unwavering loyalty, recruiting former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein to challenge him in the primary. Gallrein, though familiar with Republican politics, has significantly less experience than Massie and declined Massie’s repeated requests for a debate.
“He’s standing against more than the president. He’s standing against our nation,” Gallrein told conservative radio host Bill Cunningham in March. “Everything he does is about ‘get Trump.’ He’s just picked a fight with him and the party.”
The Primary Test
Tuesday’s election will test whether a handpicked candidate can unseat Trump’s critics, especially in Massie’s solidly Republican northern Kentucky district, where a Trump endorsement carries weight. However, polls suggest Massie has a strong chance of surviving the president’s campaign against him. Massie has previously defeated a Trump-endorsed challenger, and with massive funding from Trump-aligned super PACs, this race has become the most expensive House primary in history.
“You can tell that I’m ahead in the polls and they’re desperate,” Massie told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “That’s why they’re sending the secretary of war to my district tomorrow. That’s why the president’s losing sleep and tweeting about this. That’s why AIPAC has dumped another $3 million into my race this weekend, is because they’re panicked, and they really haven’t been able to gain a lead in this race.”
