Latest news with #anti-Massie
The Hill
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Massie vows Trump's threats to primary him will ‘backfire tremendously'
Rep. Thomas Massie's (R-Ky.) vowed that President Trump's threats to primary him will 'backfire tremendously' and ultimately lead to Republicans losing their House majority in the 2026 midterms. 'Well, they've spent $1.8 billion against me so far in my congressional district. I think it has had very little effect, but they are trying to beat up on me to keep everyone else in line here and I think it is not working. I think what's gonna happen, this will be a referendum on whether the executive branch controls the legislative branch,' Massie said during a Tuesday interview with NBC News. 'I am going to prevail. What they are going to find out is it will embolden members of Congress here to go with their heart, with their minds, with their constituents and not just toe the party line,' Massie told NBC' Sahil Kapur. Trump's political operation has launched a targeted campaign seeking to oust Massie, who has regularly criticized the administration and refused to support its legislative agenda. Kapur asked Massie if he thought the president's effort 'will backfire in the next two years.' 'I think it's gonna backfire tremendously,' Massie said. 'Number one, I think they are wasting millions of dollars against me and they are going to lose the majority because of that, but number two, I think it will embolden Republicans who are right now quietly agreeing with me, but saying 'I am afraid of winning my primary, let's see if you can win yours Massie.'' Trump called the Kentucky lawmaker the 'worst Republican Congressman, and an almost guaranteed NO VOTE each and every time, is an Embarrassment to Kentucky' the president said in a Monday night post on Truth Social, linking to an anti-Massie ad released by pro-Trump PAC MAGA Kentucky. 'He's lazy, slow moving, and totally disingenuous – A real loser! Never has anything positive to add. Looking for someone good to run against this guy, someone I can Endorse and vigorously campaign for,' Massie was one of two House Republicans who voted against the president's 'big, beautiful bill' and has previously denounced the U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on June 21, earning him rebukes from Trump and his allies. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stopped short on Tuesday from endorsing Massie, saying 'bless his heart' when asked about his push for a bipartisan measure calling for the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender and late, disgraced financier. 'Some people seem to enjoy trying to inflict political pain on their own teammates. I'm not going to address anybody individually, but I'll tell you that some here are much more frustrated than others,' Johnson said during a press conference on Tuesday. 'One in particular just gives me lots of consternation. I don't understand. I don't understand Thomas Massie's motivation, I really don't,' the House speaker added. 'I don't know how his mind works, I don't know what he's thinking.'
San Francisco Chronicle
14-07-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Thomas Massie, GOP congressman who broke with Trump, reports strong fundraising
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie has stockpiled more than $1.7 million for his re-election bid as the Kentucky Republican gears up to face President Donald Trump's vaunted political operation, Massie's campaign announced Monday. Massie was one of two House Republicans to vote against Trump's massive tax bill and he said Trump lacked authority to bomb nuclear sites in Iran without congressional approval. Trump aides launched a super PAC devoted to defeating Massie in his 2026 primary, the first concerted effort by the president's team to unseat a sitting member of Congress. Trump's challenge to Massie sent a clear signal to other Republicans that they cross the president at their peril. But Massie's formidable fundraising will help him fight back. His sprawling district covers three television markets, making it an expensive place to campaign. Massie raised just over $584,000 between April and June, bringing his total fundraising since the last election above $1 million, his campaign reported. The $1.7 million in his campaign bank account includes money left over from his successful 2024 re-election campaign. The new PAC, Kentucky MAGA, will be run by two of Trump's top political lieutenants, his former co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita and longtime pollster Tony Fabrizio. They have not yet announced a challenger they will support but hope to unify Massie's Republican critics behind one person to avoid splitting the anti-Massie vote.
Hamilton Spectator
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Thomas Massie, GOP congressman who broke with Trump, reports strong fundraising
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie has stockpiled more than $1.7 million for his re-election bid as the Kentucky Republican gears up to face President Donald Trump's vaunted political operation, Massie's campaign announced Monday. Massie was one of two House Republicans to vote against Trump's massive tax bill and he said Trump lacked authority to bomb nuclear sites in Iran without congressional approval. Trump aides launched a super PAC devoted to defeating Massie in his 2026 primary, the first concerted effort by the president's team to unseat a sitting member of Congress. Trump's challenge to Massie sent a clear signal to other Republicans that they cross the president at their peril. But Massie's formidable fundraising will help him fight back. His sprawling district covers three television markets, making it an expensive place to campaign. Massie raised just over $584,000 between April and June, bringing his total fundraising since the last election above $1 million, his campaign reported. The $1.7 million in his campaign bank account includes money left over from his successful 2024 re-election campaign. The new PAC, Kentucky MAGA, will be run by two of Trump's top political lieutenants, his former co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita and longtime pollster Tony Fabrizio. They have not yet announced a challenger they will support but hope to unify Massie's Republican critics behind one person to avoid splitting the anti-Massie vote. Elon Musk, a billionaire and one-time Trump ally, suggested he'll support Massie. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
14-07-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Thomas Massie, GOP congressman who broke with Trump, reports strong fundraising
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie has stockpiled more than $1.7 million for his re-election bid as the Kentucky Republican gears up to face President Donald Trump's vaunted political operation, Massie's campaign announced Monday. Massie was one of two House Republicans to vote against Trump's massive tax bill and he said Trump lacked authority to bomb nuclear sites in Iran without congressional approval. Trump aides launched a super PAC devoted to defeating Massie in his 2026 primary, the first concerted effort by the president's team to unseat a sitting member of Congress. Trump's challenge to Massie sent a clear signal to other Republicans that they cross the president at their peril. But Massie's formidable fundraising will help him fight back. His sprawling district covers three television markets, making it an expensive place to campaign. Massie raised just over $584,000 between April and June, bringing his total fundraising since the last election above $1 million, his campaign reported. The $1.7 million in his campaign bank account includes money left over from his successful 2024 re-election campaign. The new PAC, Kentucky MAGA, will be run by two of Trump's top political lieutenants, his former co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita and longtime pollster Tony Fabrizio. They have not yet announced a challenger they will support but hope to unify Massie's Republican critics behind one person to avoid splitting the anti-Massie vote. Elon Musk, a billionaire and one-time Trump ally, suggested he'll support Massie.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's team launches group to unseat GOP Rep. Thomas Massie
Two key advisers to President Donald Trump are launching a group to unseat Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican with a pattern of opposing Trump who most recently lambasted his decision Saturday to strike three Iranian nuclear facilities. Chris LaCivita, a senior political adviser to Trump, confirmed to NBC News on Sunday that he and Tony Fabrizio, another Trump adviser, will run the anti-Massie super PAC. Axios first reported the super PAC was being formed. Follow along for live coverage Trump and Massie, a libertarian who has represented Kentucky's 4th Congressional District since 2012, have long been at odds, with Trump saying he wanted Massie thrown out of the GOP in 2020. Still, Massie has retained his seat, winning multiple primary challenges and even Trump's endorsement in 2022. But Massie has continued to be a thorn in Trump's side during his second term. In addition to opposing Trump's strikes against Iran, he has consistently voted against his "big, beautiful bill" throughout the process. Massie also partnered with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., last week to introduce a war powers resolution meant to 'prohibit involvement in Iran.' 'The Constitution does not permit the executive branch to unilaterally commit an act of war against a sovereign nation that hasn't attacked the United States,' Massie said of the resolution in a statement at the time. After the strikes in Iran on Saturday, Massie dug into Trump's decision, writing on social media, 'This is not Constitutional.' Trump called Massie 'not MAGA' and a 'simple minded 'grandstander'' Sunday on Truth Social. 'Massie is weak, ineffective, and votes 'NO' on virtually everything put before him (Rand Paul, Jr.), no matter how good something may be,' Trump wrote in his post, which referred to another Kentucky Republican, Sen. Rand Paul. '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. MAGA is not about lazy, grandstanding, nonproductive politicians, of which Thomas Massie is definitely one,' he added. So far, only one Republican — Niki Lee Ethington — has filed to run in the primary for Kentucky's 4th District. According to her campaign website, Ethington is a registered nurse who graduated in 2021 and has not held public office. Massie responded to Trump's attacks by posting a fundraising appeal and a screenshot of Trump's social media post, along with a photo of a TV appearance Sunday on CBS' 'Face the Nation.' During that appearance, he advocated for not getting involved in a war in Iran. Later in the day, Massie also wrote on X that Trump "declared so much War on me today it should require an Act of Congress." On Sunday afternoon, Massie also blasted Trump for his post on Truth Social earlier in the day that asked, 'why wouldn't there be regime change' in Iran and calling to 'MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN.' Massie wrote, 'This is not America First folks.' Trump has taken out Republicans in primaries before — most memorably in the 2022 election cycle, when his political operation targeted GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach him after the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol. Eight of the 10 lost their primaries or chose not to stand for re-election. This article was originally published on
