President Trump and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) have been at odds a few times over the years. Perhaps most recently, when Massie opposed the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ and the airstrike on Iran.
It looks like Trump may have gotten tired of dealing with him because he is now endorsing a primary challenger for him.
The Hill reports:
Trump endorses potential challenger to Massie in 2026 racePresident Trump on Friday endorsed a potential challenger to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who has tussled with the GOP over the last several months.Trump threw his full support behind Ed Gallrein as a contender in Kentucky’s 2026 GOP primary.“I hope Ed gets into the Race against Massie, who is now polling at about 9% because the Great People of Kentucky are wise to him — He only votes against the Republican Party, making life very easy for the Radical Left,” the president wrote in a Friday post on Truth Social.“Unlike ‘lightweight’ Massie, a totally ineffective LOSER who has failed us so badly, CAPTAIN ED GALLREIN IS A WINNER WHO WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN,” he added.Gallrein has not officially announced an intention to run for the Kentucky congressional seat after losing a campaign for state senate late last year.Still, Trump said, “should he decide to challenge Massie, Captain Ed Gallrein has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”
Massie is not taking the news well. You need look no further than his response to see that.
From Politico:
Massie, in response to Trump’s endorsement, called Gallrein a “failed candidate and establishment hack.”“After having been rejected by every elected official in the 4th District, Trump’s consultants clearly pushed the panic button with their choice of failed candidate and establishment hack Ed Gallrein,” Massie told POLITICO. “Ed’s been begging them to pick him for over three months now.”Trump’s endorsement of Gallrein — which included a photo of himself and Gallrein holding red MAGA hats in the Oval Office — comes as the president has been publicly teasing his plans to help unseat Massie for months. Two of his top political hands launched a super PAC, MAGA KY, that has already spent $1.8 million trying to take Massie down.
An October 16th report from the Washington Free Beacon seems to indicate that there could be more to the story here:
Strange Bedfellows: Meet the PAC Working to Reelect Thomas Massie—And Partnering With the DSA to Fight ICEEarlier this year, in June, Integrity Political Action Committee (IPAC) announced a “new coalition” with the Democratic Socialists of America aimed at fighting ICE’s “crackdown on immigration violations.” Two months later, an unlikely figure traveled to the area to meet with IPAC’s leaders: Rep. Thomas Massie, the man who describes himself as “Kentucky’s most conservative congressman.”A social media post shows Massie smiling alongside IPAC chairman Rafed Aljoboury in what appears to be a private home in Dunmore, Pa., a Scranton suburb. One week earlier, Aljoboury contributed $500 to Massie’s campaign, according to campaign finance disclosure. Aljoboury spoke at the press conference where IPAC launched its partnership with the DSA and compared ICE agents to Nazis.
Featured image via YouTube.
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