U.S. Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) speaks during a press conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act ahead of the House vote on releasing files related to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Capitol Hill on November 18, 2025 in Washington, DC, US.
Annabelle Gordon | reuters
After a series of victories in Republican primary elections this spring, President Donald Trump is preparing for the next stop on his revenge tour: Kentucky, where Representative Thomas Massie, a perennial thorn in the side of House GOP leaders and the president, is locked in a bitter fight for his political future.
This month alone Trump has successfully led the charge to oust a group of Indiana state Republicans who opposed his redistricting effort, and helped end the reelection bid of Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment.
Trump now has his sights set on Massie, a libertarian-leaning Republican with fierce independence, who will face off Tuesday against Ed Galren, a former Navy SEAL who was recruited by the president into the race.
Massie is an anti-abortion rights, pro-gun, fiscal conservative who is known for wearing a homemade loan clock on his lapel around the Capitol. But he has rebuked the president over the release of files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and regularly votes against GOP priorities.
Trump wants him gone. And on Monday he posted a series of posts targeting Messi.
“The worst Congressman in the long and storied history of the Republican Party is Thomas Massie. He is an obstructionist and an idiot. Tomorrow, Tuesday, vote him out of office. It will be a great day for America! President DJT,” Trump written in one.
Trump said, “We are in a fight against the worst congressman in the history of our country, his name is Thomas Massie, he’s from Kentucky. I hope you put him out of business tomorrow. He’s very bad.” Said in a video, Posted Monday afternoon while sitting in the Oval Office.
Tuesday’s primaries in Kentucky are effectively a referendum on Trump’s hold on the Republican Party.
Trump’s approval ratings have declined in recent months as prices soared in response to the Iran war, and GOP defectors in Congress have at times rebuked the president on tariffs and foreign policy ahead of November’s crucial midterm elections. Republicans are trying to defend slim majorities in both the House and Senate.
But with two and a half years remaining in his second term, it is difficult to deny his impact on Republican electoral politics. a fresh CBS News Poll found that 63% of those surveyed disapproved of the way Trump was handling his job.
The same poll found that 85% of Republicans approve of the job Trump is doing, making him influential in the primary elections, where he is leading on Truth Social.
“I think every day in a second term you have less and less power. But he still wields a lot of influence among Republican primary voters,” he said. john feeheryA Republican strategist and former aide to House Speaker Dennis Hastert. “It doesn’t make sense politically to get into a fight with the president.”
Massey’s race is the most expensive House primary on record, According to AdImpactBecause pro-Trump and pro-Israel groups have spent money to remove the incumbent. More than $32.6 million has been spent on ads, including $7.9 million targeting Macy’s.
And it has taken a terrible turn. One AI-generated ad targeting Macy’s MAGA KY PAC accused him of being “in cahoots” with liberal Democratic representatives. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
One Attack against Galren Advertisement Depicted is billionaire donor Paul Singer, who donated to a Trump-backed candidate and is Jewish, with a rainbow Star of David in the background. Singer has a son who is gay.
The Macy’s and Galerien campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment. When asked for comment on the Kentucky race, the White House referred to Trump’s Truth Social posts.
In an unusual move, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was campaigning with Galren in the Massey district on Monday. Current Cabinet officials do not engage in political campaigns, and a federal law, known as the Hatch Act, prohibits Cabinet secretaries and other executive branch officials from engaging in political activities in their official capacities.
“Secretary Hegseth is attending this event in his personal capacity. No taxpayer dollars will be used to facilitate his travel,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. “Their participation has been thoroughly investigated and cleared by attorneys, including the War Office of the General Counsel, and does not violate the Hatch Act or any other applicable federal statute.”
Meanwhile, Massey has pointed to the influx of money from the “Israel lobby,” including people like Singer and billionaire Miriam Adelson, as well as organizations like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Massey, who is generally against foreign aid, has opposed military aid to Israel and voted against symbolic resolutions in support of the country.
“There will be a referendum on (primary) foreign policy, whether Israel can intimidate members of Congress and order it,” Massie said. ABC News On Sunday. “But you can tell I’m ahead in the polls and they’re desperate, that’s why they’re sending the Secretary of War to my district tomorrow.”
Recent polling on race seems to suggest Slight lead for GalreinHowever, it will be difficult to remove a high-profile incumbent who has represented the district for more than a decade.
But Feehery and a second Republican operative, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, both predicted that Massey would fail for not being loyal enough.
“My understanding is (Massey) is well-liked in that district. He has his own little base of people like Massey who respect him for sticking to his guns,” the operative said. But it will be difficult for Massey to win because of the amount of money spent in the race and the quality of Galren’s candidacy, the operative said.
“I think it’s going to be very difficult. I expect he will lose tomorrow,” the GOP operative said.
Feehery agreed. Even as Trump’s time in power winds down, Macy, like Cassidy, may have taken a huge political gamble by opposing the president.
“At the end of the day, if you upset Trump, he’s going to come after you,” Feehery said.