Latest news with #MAGAKentucky
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump allies begin hitting Massie with attack ads over opposition to agenda
A super PAC aligned with President Donald Trump has launched an attack ad targeting Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie after his series of high-profile breaks with the administration, including opposition to a landmark policy bill and criticism of strikes against Iran. 'What happened to Thomas Massie,' the ad begins, ticking through a list of conservative policy priorities that it says Massie voted against, a broad reference to Massie's opposition to the sprawling Republican policy bill making its way through Congress. Massie cited concerns over spending levels and deficits in his vote against the 'big, beautiful bill,' as it's been dubbed by Republicans. The ad also hammers Massie explicitly over his opposition to the administration's decision to strike Iran's nuclear facilities over the weekend, encouraging voters to 'fire Thomas Massie.' The ad presents a high-profile example of Trump leveraging his powerful political network against recalcitrant members of his own party as he wrestles with dynamic foreign policy challenges and works to steer his domestic agenda through Capitol Hill. It comes from a group, MAGA Kentucky, created by Trump allies specifically to target Massie, with plans to spend $1 million on the ad campaign, targeting TV and digital platforms, according to Axios, which first reported on the group. Data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact shows that MAGA KY has already reserved about $100,000 worth of airtime in July. MAGA KY shares a treasurer with Trump's main super PAC, MAGA Inc., according to its limited disclosures so far with the Federal Election Commission and is overseen by key Trump allies – connecting it to a network of political committees and joint fundraising agreements steering tens of millions of dollars in campaign cash ultimately aligned with the president. And while Trump is constitutionally ineligible to run for office again, that immense war chest has given him ample resources, along with his durable political capital, to direct against members – including Massie – who break ranks to oppose his agenda, cementing the president's grip on the party. Last month, Trump fumed against the Kentucky Republican amid his steadfast opposition to the president's signature policy bill. 'I don't think Thomas Massie understands government. I think he's a grandstander, frankly. He'll probably vote- We don't even talk to him much. I think he should be voted out of office,' Trump said. Massie, however, has cultivated a defiant independence during his time in Congress and has dismissed the threats from Trump and his allies. 'If they would just quit hitting me I might get bored and give up,' Massie told reporters on Capitol Hill earlier this week. 'But I'm not going to lose. I do not lose.'
CNN
11 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Trump allies begin hitting Massie with attack ads over opposition to agenda
A super PAC aligned with President Donald Trump has launched an attack ad targeting Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie after his series of high-profile breaks with the administration, including opposition to a landmark policy bill and criticism of strikes against Iran. 'What happened to Thomas Massie,' the ad begins, ticking through a list of conservative policy priorities that it says Massie voted against, a broad reference to Massie's opposition to the sprawling Republican policy bill making its way through Congress. Massie cited concerns over spending levels and deficits in his vote against the 'big, beautiful bill,' as it's been dubbed by Republicans. The ad also hammers Massie explicitly over his opposition to the administration's decision to strike Iran's nuclear facilities over the weekend, encouraging voters to 'fire Thomas Massie.' The ad presents a high-profile example of Trump leveraging his powerful political network against recalcitrant members of his own party as he wrestles with dynamic foreign policy challenges and works to steer his domestic agenda through Capitol Hill. It comes from a group, MAGA Kentucky, created by Trump allies specifically to target Massie, with plans to spend $1 million on the ad campaign, targeting TV and digital platforms, according to Axios, which first reported on the group. Data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact shows that MAGA KY has already reserved about $100,000 worth of airtime in July. MAGA KY shares a treasurer with Trump's main super PAC, MAGA Inc., according to its limited disclosures so far with the Federal Election Commission and is overseen by key Trump allies – connecting it to a network of political committees and joint fundraising agreements steering tens of millions of dollars in campaign cash ultimately aligned with the president. And while Trump is constitutionally ineligible to run for office again, that immense war chest has given him ample resources, along with his durable political capital, to direct against members – including Massie – who break ranks to oppose his agenda, cementing the president's grip on the party. Last month, Trump fumed against the Kentucky Republican amid his steadfast opposition to the president's signature policy bill. 'I don't think Thomas Massie understands government. I think he's a grandstander, frankly. He'll probably vote- We don't even talk to him much. I think he should be voted out of office,' Trump said. Massie, however, has cultivated a defiant independence during his time in Congress and has dismissed the threats from Trump and his allies. 'If they would just quit hitting me I might get bored and give up,' Massie told reporters on Capitol Hill earlier this week. 'But I'm not going to lose. I do not lose.'
The Hill
13 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Pro-Trump PAC targets Massie in first ad
The pro-Trump PAC MAGA Kentucky rolled out its first ad targeting Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on Friday, marking the first spot in a $1 million ad buy as the lawmaker feuds with President Trump. The 30-second ad, titled 'What happened to Thomas Massie?' hits the GOP congressman over his opposition to Trump-supported legislation to fund border security and cut taxes, as well as his opposition to the president's recent military intervention in Iran. 'After Trump obliterated Iran's nuclear weapons program, Massie sided with Democrats and the Ayatollah,' the ad's narrator says, as an image of Massie flashes on screen with other images of Ayatollah Khomeini, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Massie quickly responded to the ad in a post on X, appearing to to refer to measures in Trump's legislative agenda that the Senate parliamentarian opposed, including blocking Medicaid funds to be used for gender-affirming care. 'The BBB now allows funding sex changes for minors!' Massie said, referring to Trump's 'big, beautiful bill. 'This ad slams me for voting against the BBB, but the Senate just stripped the 'ban on sex changes for minors' from the BBB. By the ads' twisted logic, those who support the Senate's edits now support sex changes for minors.' The ad is one of the first major steps Trump's political operation has taken in its effort to oust Massie from Congress. Earlier this week, Trump's co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita launched MAGA Kentucky PAC amid Trump's growing feud with Massie. 'MAGA KY was formed for the specific purpose of firing Thomas Massie – His constituents will soon learn that he prefers the politics and policy of AOC and the radical left – over President Trump,' LaCivita told NewsNation, The Hill's sister cable network.
Axios
a day ago
- Politics
- Axios
Scoop: Pro-Trump group unleashes first TV ad against Massie
A pro-Trump super PAC is out with its first TV ad against Rep. Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican targeted for defeat by the president, Axios has learned. Why it matters: President Trump's powerful political operation is showing that it's willing to unload part of its massive $500 million war chest to unseat Massie, who the White House views as its chief Republican detractor in the House. MAGA Kentucky's commercial is set to begin airing on Friday, and is the first part of an overall $1 million ad buy. The ads will be concentrated on Fox News and broadcast TV stations in the Cincinnati and Louisville markets. It will also be airing digitally, aimed at targeted Republican voters. Zoom in: The spot concludes by saying that Massie, an anti-interventionist who was critical of Trump's decision to strike Iran, "sided" with with the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The spot flashes an image of Massie alongside Khamenei and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a pair of prominent liberals who also criticized Trump for attacking Iran. The ad also targets Massie for voting against Trump-backed legislation aimed at cutting taxes and funding border security. "Let's fire Thomas Massie," the ad says. Representatives for Massie did not respond to requests for comment. The background: MAGA Kentucky is affiliated with Trump's official political apparatus. It is led by senior Trump advisers Chris LaCivita and Tony Fabrizio. Trump advisers are actively recruiting a primary challenger to Massie, with an eye toward clearing the field so Massie rivals don't splinter support. "The good news is that we will have a wonderful American Patriot running against him in the Republican Primary, and I'll be out in Kentucky campaigning really hard," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. The other side: Massie allies argue that his libertarian streak has made him politically popular in his conservative central Kentucky district.
