President Donald Trump is escalating his attacks against Rep. Thomas Massie, demanding his followers vote out the “worst Congressman in the long and storied history of the Republican Party” in Kentucky’s primary on Tuesday.
“He is an obstructionist and a fool,” Trump posted Monday morning on Truth Social. “Vote him out of office tomorrow, Tuesday. It will be a great day for America!”
Trump and Massie have also publicly sparred over the Justice Department’s failure to fully and swiftly release government files on the president’s longtime friend, the late sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein.
Joined by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Massie led the House’s effort to fight the Trump administration’s stonewalling and force the release of the files, which Trump has described as a “Democrat hoax.” The files do not appear to implicate the president in criminal activity; however, his name is repeatedly mentioned in them.
Tom Brenner via Associated Press
Trump has spent the better part of the last year attacking Massie as a result of his lack of undying loyalty, recruiting former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein to unseat him in Tuesday’s primary. While Gallrein is no stranger to Republican politics, he has significantly less experience than Massie, and did not agree to 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.”
Tuesday’s election will serve as the latest test on whether a handpicked candidate is enough for the president to get rid of his critics in office, particularly in Massie’s solidly Republican northern Kentucky district where a Trump endorsement could go a long way.
Still, polls have shown there’s a solid chance the incumbent can survive the president’s campaign to oust him, and Massie is no stranger to beating a Trump-endorsed challenger. With massive funding from Trump-aligned super PACS, the race has become the House’s most expensive primary in history.
“You can tell that I’m ahead in the polls and they’re desperate. That’s why they’re sending the secretary of war to my district tomorrow,” Massie told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “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.”