President Donald Trump lashed out at Representative Thomas Massie on Friday, calling for his immediate removal from Congress in a fiery post on Truth Social.
“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 wrote.
Why It Matters
The attack marks Trump’s latest move to punish Republican lawmakers who have opposed his agenda or questioned his influence over the party. Massie, a libertarian-leaning conservative known for his clashes with GOP leadership, has often broken with Trump and his allies on spending and foreign policy.
Trump’s call for Massie’s ouster underscores growing divisions within the Republican Party as it heads into the 2026 midterms, with the president continuing to test his grip on congressional Republicans and the broader conservative movement.
What To Know
In the same post, Trump endorsed Navy veteran Ed Gallrein to challenge Massie for his seat in next year’s midterms.
“Should he decide to challenge Massie, Captain Ed Gallrein has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, ED, RUN — MAGA!” Trump wrote. Gallrein has yet to officially enter the race.
In his post, Trump praised Gallrein as someone who “will fight tirelessly” for border security and against crime, calling him “a winner who will not let you down.”
“I hope Ed gets into the Race against Massie,” Trump added, describing the Kentucky congressman as “a totally ineffective LOSER who has failed us so badly.”
Gallrein, who narrowly lost a 2024 Republican state Senate primary to fellow Navy SEAL Aaron Reed, said in a statement that he was “honored by President Trump’s support.”
“He is doing an amazing job securing the border, lowering taxes, and making America great again,” Gallrein said. “I will make an announcement on what’s next soon!”
Massie quickly fired back, dismissing Trump’s endorsement as the product of political panic.
“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.”
The attack represents the latest flash point in a long-running rift between Trump and Massie, who has frequently broken with the president’s domestic and foreign policy agenda. Trump first began targeting the Kentucky lawmaker earlier this year after Massie opposed the GOP’s massive spending package, which Trump has touted as a key legislative win.
“I don’t think Thomas Massie understands government. I think he’s a grandstander,” Trump said in May.
“I think he should be voted out of office,” he told reporters.
Trump’s push to oust Massie comes as his allies ramp up efforts to recruit challengers and spend heavily against the Kentucky congressman. Two of the president’s top political advisers recently launched a super PAC, MAGA KY, which has already spent $1.8 million to unseat him.
Massie, meanwhile, has continued to make headlines on Capitol Hill, recently filing a discharge petition with Representative Ro Khanna to force a floor vote compelling the Justice Department to release files tied to the Jeffrey Epstein case. The measure, which requires 218 signatures, is reportedly just one short of success.
Despite Trump’s attacks, Massie has shown resilience within his district. He ran uncontested in 2024 after easily defeating primary challengers Eric Deters and Michael McGinnis.
Massie was not the only Republican to face the wrath of Trump this week. He also lashed out at Kentucky Seantor Rand Paul.
“Whatever happened to “Senator” Rand Paul? He was never great, but he went really BAD! I got him elected, TWICE (in the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky!), but he just never votes positively for the Republican Party. He’s a nasty liddle’ guy, much like “Congressman” Thomas Massie, aka Rand Paul Jr., also of Kentucky (which I won three times, in massive landslides!), a sick Wacko, who refuses to vote for our great Republican Party, MAGA, or America First. It’s really weird!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Paul has repeatedly broken with Trump on major policy fronts, including government spending, tariffs, and executive authority.
He opposed Trump’s $5 trillion debt ceiling package, calling it “fiscally reckless,” and denounced the president’s new tariffs as “hidden taxes.”
Paul also pushed back on Trump’s proposal to use the military for deportations and criticized federal investments in private companies like Intel as “socialism.”
On Friday, Paul urged Congress to “make it clear that war powers reside with Congress, not the president,” following his concerns over the administration’s recent actions against Venezuelan vessels accused of drug trafficking.
“About 25 percent of the time that the Coast Guard boards a vessel in the Caribbean looking for drugs, about 25 percent of the time, the boat that is boarded doesn’t have drugs,” Paul told Newsmax earlier this month.
What Happens Next
Gallrein has not yet officially entered the midterms race, but Trump’s endorsement all but guarantees national attention—and money—if he does.
