Topline
President Donald Trump has published at least 11 Truth Social posts targeting Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., since Saturday, when Trump scored his first major victory in his midterm vengeance campaign.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., conducts a news conference after reviewing unredacted portions of the Jeffrey Epstein files, outside a Department of Justice office in NoMa on Monday, February 9, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Key Facts
Trump called Massie an “obstructionist and a fool” in a post on Monday, a “disloyal, ungracious, and sanctimonious FOOL” in a post on Saturday, and a “Weak and Pathetic RINO [Republican in name only]” on Sunday.
Calling him the “worst and most unreliable Republican Congressman in the history of our Country,” Trump said Sunday that Massie is “an even bigger insult to our Nation than Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana,” who was defeated in a primary Saturday after Trump campaigned against him over Cassidy’s vote to convict Trump in his 2021 impeachment trial.
Trump also called for a challenger to Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., in a post on Saturday over Boebert’s support for Massie, writing that he would pull his endorsement for her for a “good and proper alternative” and calling Boebert “Weak Minded.”
Trump has also posted several links to allegations against Massie related to his ex-girlfriend Cynthia West, who accused Massie of offering her money to drop a wrongful termination lawsuit she filed against one of his congressional allies (Massie has denied the allegations and accused West of trying to hurt his reelection campaign).
Massie’s primary Tuesday against Trump-backed retired Navy SEAL captain Ed Gallrein is the latest test of Trump’s influence in the GOP and is the most expensive House race in history, as pro-Israel groups have spent millions to topple Massie.
Tangent
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth campaigned for Gallrein in Kentucky on Monday, an atypical, if not unprecedented, move for a defense secretary. Hegseth touted Gallrein’s military record in his speech and said he was there in his “personal capacity as a private citizen, a fellow American, and a fellow combat veteran.” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told NBC no taxpayer dollars would be used to facilitate Hegseth’s visit, which Parnell said was cleared by lawyers and does not violate any federal laws.
Key Background
Massie, first elected in 2012, has recently deepened a feud with Trump that began during Trump’s first term. Massie co-sponsored legislation that forced the Trump administration to release the Epstein files, he voted against Trump’s signature tax law and has opposed the war against Iran. Massie has opposed aid to Israel and was the only Republican to join Democrats in boycotting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress in 2024. Massie, an isolationist Republican, is staunchly against all foreign aid and intervention in foreign conflict. He has also repeatedly voted against aid to Ukraine. The Fourth Congressional District Massie represents, which encompasses the northernmost tip of the state, is reliably Republican, so the winner of Tuesday’s primary is likely to go on to win in November.
Further Reading
Trump Breaks With Lauren Boebert In Latest MAGA Infighting: ‘Weak Minded’ (Forbes)
Could Trump Nemesis Thomas Massie Lose His Republican Primary? (Forbes)
Trump Feuds With ‘Grandstander’ GOP Rep. Massie For Defying Anti-Government Shutdown Bill (Forbes)