President Donald Trump escalated his feud with libertarian-leaning Representative Thomas Massie at a rally Wednesday at a Kentucky packing plant, accusing the seven-term lawmaker of consistently opposing GOP priorities and voting against key conservative policies.
During the event, Trump labeled Massie “the worst,” stating: “He only votes no. He just votes no.” The president added that even if he offered Massie “the best things in the history of a Republican voter,” the representative would still vote “no.”
Trump further accused Massie of being disloyal to both his party and country, declaring: “He is disloyal to the Republican Party. He’s disloyal to the people of Kentucky. And most importantly, he is disloyal to the United States of America.” The president also claimed that “somebody with a warm body” could defeat Massie in the Republican primary.
The president asserted that Massie had sided with Democrats on critical issues, including tax policy and border security. Trump specifically cited: “Massie voted against tax cuts for seniors. He voted against tax cuts for overtime workers. And he voted against tax cuts for tip earners.” He also accused Massie of opposing the administration’s historic funding for border security.
At the rally, Trump promoted Ed Gallrein, a farmer and Navy SEAL veteran he endorsed as Massie’s primary challenger in the GOP race. Gallrein told supporters: “You deserve an authentic, true Republican conservative that stands shoulder to shoulder with our president and the Republican Party and against the Democrats who are trying to destroy our nation.”
Gallrein added: “The president understands that. The Republican Party understands that, and you all understand that, and I understand that,” leading supporters in a chant of “USA.”
The clash reflects a long-running tension between Trump and Massie, who has frequently broken with party leadership and opposed several Trump-backed measures in Congress. Massie, a fiscal conservative known for challenging large spending bills and emergency legislation, has drawn criticism from Trump and other Republican leaders for voting against major GOP initiatives.
