Donald Trump turned his Truth Social megaphone on Thomas Massie over the weekend, unleashing a barrage of attacks on the Kentucky congressman just two days before a Republican primary that will test the president's power to eliminate dissent within his party.
In an eight-hour tirade starting Sunday morning, Trump branded Massie the "worst and most unreliable Republican Congressman in the history of our Country" and directly ordered Kentucky voters to "vote the bum out on Tuesday." The assault comes as Massie fights for political survival against Ed Gallrein, a farmer and retired Navy Seal backed by Trump.
Massie has spent his congressional career defying Trump and party leadership. He voted against Trump's signature tax and spending cuts bill, forced the release of Jeffrey Epstein files, and demanded congressional oversight of military operations in Venezuela and Iran. That record of independence has made him a target for elimination.
The congressman appeared on ABC's This Week Sunday morning and dismissed the assault as desperation. "I'm the only one they haven't been able to bully," Massie said. "I'm ahead in the polls, and they're desperate. That's why the president's losing sleep and tweeting about this."
But polling data tells a different story. A Quantus Insights poll released last week showed Gallrein leading 48% to 43%, with 8% undecided. Massie has claimed support from anti-abortion and gun rights groups plus millions in grassroots donations, while accusing wealthy donors including Miriam Adelson and Paul Singer of bankrolling his opponent through what he termed the "Israeli lobby."
Massie's struggle fits a larger pattern. On Saturday, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy was ousted in his primary, punished for voting to convict Trump during the 2021 impeachment trial over January 6. Cassidy finished third behind Trump-endorsed representatives Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming, who will face off in a June 27 runoff.
Cassidy's defeat marks a dramatic thinning of Republican ranks willing to challenge Trump. Of the seven GOP senators who voted to convict him in the impeachment trial, only two remain in office: Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski. Just one of the ten House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 is running for reelection in November.
The message from Trump's inner circle is unmistakable. Senator Lindsey Graham said on Meet the Press: "Bill Cassidy lost because he tried to destroy Trump, Massie is going to lose because he tried to destroy the agenda. If you try and destroy him, you are going to get destroyed."
House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed the threat in softer tones on Fox News Sunday, calling Trump's endorsement "the most powerful endorsement in the history of politics."
Trump's iron control over Republican primary races contrasts sharply with his standing among voters broadly. A CBS News poll found that Republican approval of his handling of inflation dropped from 74% in March to 63%. Nationally, 70% of respondents said they felt frustrated or angry about his economic approach.
Democrats see an opening. Pete Buttigieg, former transportation secretary and potential 2028 contender, told CNN's State of the Union on Sunday that he spotted "a big opening for Democrats" as Trump's grip tightens on a party growing less popular with mainstream voters.
"The Republican party is organized less and less around conservative principles, more and more around one man, and as that one man remains deeply unpopular they're finding they're having a very hard time convincing the rest of America to vote for them," Buttigieg said.
Author James Rodriguez: "Trump's scorched-earth primary strategy may win him House seats in deep red districts, but it's building a party less capable of winning general elections as his national numbers crater."
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