Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie is Trump revenge tour’s next target

After a string of wins in the Republican primaries this spring, President Donald Trump is preparing for the next stop on his revenge tour: Kentucky, where he is locked in a bitter fight for the political future of Rep. Thomas Massie, a perennial thorn in the side of House leaders and the president.

This month alone, Trump successfully led the charge to impeach a group of Indiana state Republicans who opposed the redistricting effort and helped end the reelection effort of Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial.

Now Trump has his sights set on Massie, a Libertarian-leaning Republican with a fierce independent streak, who will face off Tuesday against Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL who has been recruited into the race by the president.

Massie is anti-abortion, pro-gun, fiscal conservative and known for wearing a homemade debt watch on his lapel at the Capitol. But he opposed the president on the release of files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and has regularly voted against GOP priorities.

Trump wants him gone. And on Monday, it sparked a series of posts targeting Massie.

“The worst Congressman in the long and storied history of the Republican Party is Thomas Massie. He is an obstructionist and an idiot. Vote to impeach him tomorrow, Tuesday. It will be a great day for America! President DJT,” Trump said. wrote in one.

“We’re dealing with 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 terrible,” Trump said. he said in a video: It was released Monday afternoon while he was sitting in the Oval Office.

Tuesday’s primary elections in Kentucky are a referendum on Trump’s dominance of the Republican Party.

Trump’s approval ratings have fallen in recent months as prices have risen in response to the Iran war, and GOP defectors in Congress have at times opposed the president on tariffs and foreign policy ahead of key midterm elections in November. Republicans are trying to maintain slim majorities in both the House and the Senate.

But two and a half years into his second term, it’s hard to deny Republicans’ influence on electoral politics. recently CBS News poll The survey found that 63 percent of respondents disapprove of the way Trump is running the business.

The same poll found that 85 percent of Republicans approve of the job Trump is doing; This makes Trump effective in the primaries, where he distributes support through Truth Social.

“I think your power is decreasing day by day in the second term. But you still have a considerable influence among Republican primary voters,” he said. John FeeheryHe is a Republican strategist and former aide to House Speaker Dennis Hastert. “It’s politically unwise to pick a fight with the president.”

Massie’s race was the most expensive House primary on record. According to AdImpactPro-Trump and pro-Israel groups poured money into trying to oust the incumbent. More than $32.6 million was spent on advertising; That includes $7.9 million targeting Massie.

And the situation took an ugly turn. One AI-generated ad targeting Massie of the MAGA KY PAC, accused her of a “triad” with liberal Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

One Attack ad against Gallrein The film stars Paul Singer, a Jewish billionaire donor who donates to the candidate Trump supports, with a rainbow-colored Star of David in the background. The singer has a gay son.

The Massie and Gallrein campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The White House cited Trump’s Truth Social posts when asked to comment on the Kentucky race.

In an unusual move, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was campaigning with Gallrein in Massie’s district on Monday. Sitting Cabinet officials tend not to get involved 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 visit,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. he said. “His participation has been thoroughly reviewed and approved by attorneys, including the War Department’s Office of General Counsel, and does not violate the Hatch Act or any applicable federal law.”

Meanwhile, Massie noted a flow of money from the “Israel lobby,” which includes figures like Singer and billionaire Miriam Adelson, as well as organizations like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Generally opposed to foreign aid, Massie opposed military aid to Israel and voted against symbolic resolutions supporting the country.

“[The primary]”There will be a referendum on foreign policy if Israel dictates this by bullying members of Congress,” Massie said. ABC News Sunday. “But you can tell I’m ahead in the polls and they’re desperate, so they’re sending the Secretary of War to my district tomorrow.”

The latest polls on the race seem to indicate Gallrein has a slight advantageBut it will be difficult to unseat a high-profile incumbent who has represented the district for more than a decade.

But Feehery and a second Republican operative who asked to remain anonymous to speak publicly predicted Massie would fall short because he wasn’t loyal enough.

“My understanding of that area [Massie] It is very popular. He has a small base of Massie-like people who respect him because he sticks to his guns,” the operator said. But the amount of money spent in the race and the quality of Gallrein’s candidacy will make it difficult for Massie to overcome, he said.

“I think it’s going to be pretty tough. I expect him to lose tomorrow,” the GOP official said.

Feehery agreed. Even as Trump’s time in office approaches, Massie, like Cassidy, may have taken a huge political gamble by opposing the president.

“At the end of the day, if you make Trump angry, he will come after you,” Feehery said.