US President Donald Trump has launched a blistering attack on Kentucky congressman Thomas Massie, urging voters to “vote the bum out” in Tuesday’s Republican primary. In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump described Massie as the “worst and most unreliable Republican Congressman in the history of our Country”. The president has endorsed Massie’s challenger, Ed Gallrein, a farmer and retired Navy Seal.
Massie, one of the few senior Republicans to consistently defy Trump, has voted against the president’s tax and spending cuts, pushed for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and insisted on congressional oversight over military actions in Venezuela and Iran. Despite Trump’s attacks, Massie insisted on ABC News that he is “ahead in the polls” and that the president is “desperate”. However, an independent poll by Quantus Insights last week showed Gallrein leading 48% to 43% among likely voters.
Massie’s primary challenge comes amid a broader crackdown by Trump on dissent within the party. On Saturday, Louisiana senator Bill Cassidy was ousted in a primary after voting to convict Trump in his 2021 impeachment trial. Cassidy’s defeat leaves only two of the seven Republican senators who voted to convict still in office: Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski.
Republican leaders have echoed Trump’s强硬 stance. Senator Lindsey Graham said on NBC News that “if you try and destroy him, you are going to get destroyed”. House Speaker Mike Johnson described Trump’s endorsement as “the most powerful endorsement in the history of politics”. The president’s grip on the party remains strong, despite a CBS News poll showing declining approval among Republicans on his handling of inflation, with 70% of all respondents expressing frustration or anger over his economic approach.
