Donald Trump has turned his fire on one of his own Republicans. The president has unleashed a furious tirade against Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie, calling on his loyal MAGA base to boot the congressman from office in the upcoming 2026 midterms. “Third Rate Congressman Thomas Massie, a Weak and Pathetic RINO from the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, a place I love, and won big SIX TIMES, must be thrown out of office, ASAP!” Trump ranted on Truth Social late Friday night.
Massie, a self-styled libertarian and long-time Republican rebel, has been a thorn in Trump’s side ever since the start of his second term. Known for bucking the party line, Massie has repeatedly voted against Trump-backed spending plans, including the much-hyped “Big Beautiful Bill” earlier this summer. The feud escalated after Massie, joined by GOP firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene, publicly criticized the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein probe — a criticism that appears to have angered the White House.
In his fiery online post, Donald Trump claimed Massie was “polling at around 9%,” insisting “the Great People of Kentucky are wise to him — He only votes against the Republican Party, making life very easy for the Radical Left.” It’s not entirely clear where Trump got those numbers, though a small June poll by Kaplan Strategies did show Massie’s support dipping. Only 23% of likely GOP voters viewed him favorably, and that number dropped to 14% when matched against a Trump-endorsed challenger.
The president has wasted no time seizing on that weakness. Trump threw his full support behind retired Navy SEAL Captain Ed Gallrein — who lost a Kentucky state Senate race last year — as a potential MAGA-approved challenger. “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,” Donald Trump declared. “Should he decide to challenge Massie, Captain Ed Gallrein has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, ED, RUN – MAGA!”
Massie, however, appears defiant: his campaign reportedly raised $1.7 million this summer with help from Senator Rand Paul, and he has pressed for greater DOJ transparency regarding documents tied to the Epstein case.
Massie recently teamed up with Democrat Ro Khanna to file a “discharge petition,” forcing a House vote to pressure the DOJ to release more Epstein-related documents — many of which allegedly mention Donald Trump himself.
Trump’s fury comes amid renewed scrutiny of his past friendship with Epstein, the disgraced financier he once called a “terrific guy” who liked women “on the younger side.” The president has since inflamed controversy further by refusing to rule out a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, who’s currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for s– t———-.
Critics say Trump’s stance feels like a “thank you” to Maxwell, who recently made comments defending him in a private meeting with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche — Donald Trump’s former lawyer. Adding insult to injury, Massie last week publicly praised his alma mater, MIT, for rejecting White House funding tied to the MAGA administration’s education policies — a move that likely didn’t go unnoticed in Trump’s camp. As the feud heats up, Trump’s message to Kentucky Republicans couldn’t be clearer: fall in line, or face his wrath.
