The Republican who stood up to Trump is hoping for a big win against president Anthony ZurcherNorth America correspondent in Kentucky Can Massie win his Republican primary while at war with Trump?At a rally in a car park outside his campaign headquarters in Florence, Kentucky, on Saturday, congressman Thomas Massie said that the Republican politicians who joined him had made a brave choice."I'm sure they'll be punished for coming here today," he said.It didn't take long for Massie's warning to prove prophetic, as Donald Trump took to Truth Social to make his displeasure known.Congresswoman Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who had been barnstorming with Massie all weekend, and Rand Paul, the Kentucky senator who endorsed Massie and shares his unorthodox small-government libertarianism, were "parading around like fools for the worst Republican congressman in the history of our party".The president called Boebert "weak-minded" and "dumb" and said that he would withdraw his endorsement of her if a Republican challenger came forward.Trump's threats weren't exactly realistic.Paul doesn't stand for re-election for another two years. The filing date to run against Boebert in the Colorado Republican primary has already passed. But Trump's animosity toward Massie is very real - and it has had real consequences.Even as Trump was visiting China last week, he was firing off posts attacking the congressman, whose district stretches along the Ohio River from the suburbs of Louisville and Cincinnati to the foothills of Appalachia.
He has called him a "moron", a "loser", a "lowlife" and a "major sleazebag".In March, the president handpicked and endorsed a candidate – retired Navy special forces veteran Ed Gallrein - to challenge Massie in the state's Republican primary on Tuesday.Massie's transgressions? He has broken with his party on issues near and dear to Trump's heart.He voted against Trump's "big, beautiful" tax and spending legislation last year because it added trillions to the national debt. He backed rescinding Trump's tariffs on Canada.
He voted to curtail Trump's attacks on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and his ongoing war in Iran.And perhaps most notably, he joined forces with Democrats - and a handful of Republicans - to force Trump's Justice Department to release all of its files on Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex offender with ties to the rich and powerful.US Congressman Thomas Massie tells BBC he is "not satisfied" with Epstein file releaseFor Massie's supporters, it's evidence of the congressman's willingness to fight for his principles, consequences be damned."He's one of the most consistent congressmen," said Rex Morgan, who attended a Massie meet-and-greet at a coffee shop in Shelbyville, near Louisville. "And even if it were to cost him his job, he will not go back on his word."For his detractors, his intransigence is the political vanity of a man enamoured with his maverick reputation."He takes pride in opposing Trump, so that he can get all those interviews and stuff like that," said Allen Volz, who lives in the Kentucky suburbs south of Cincinnati and serves as vice-chairman of the Boone County Republican Party."It's not that you have to agree on every single issue, but at a certain point you've got to look at the big picture and say, how can we move this ball forward?"If Republicans had a comfortable majority in the House of Representatives, as they did when Massie was first elected to the chamber in 2012, such apostacy might be considered a quirky annoyance. But with his party holding power by the narrowest of margins during Trump's second term, the Kentuckian has become a constant headache – delaying or outright derailing Trump's congressional agenda."I just can't stand this guy," Trump said at a Kentucky rally with Gallrein in March.
"We've got to get rid of this loser."On Tuesday, that day of reckoning may arrive. If Massie loses, he would become just the latest in a long line of Republicans who crossed Trump and were subsequently vanquished – by resignation, forced retirement or defeat in Republican primaries.If Massie survives to face a Democrat in November, however, it could serve as a sign that Trump's power over his party is not limitless. It could stiffen the spines of other congressional Republicans who may be seeking to distance themselves from a president who, while still beloved by many in his party, has sagging overall approval ratings that could be a liability during a general election campaign."This race has come down to a Trump versus Massie dynamic," said Shane Noem, chairman of the Kenton County Republican Committee.
"It's a 'pick a side' moment for a lot of voters."Getty ImagesTrump has backed Massie challenger Ed GallreinTo get to this point, Massie has had to walk a fine line. In 2024, Trump won Kentucky's Fourth Congressional District over Democrat Kamala Harris by 35 points. On the campaign trail, Massie and his political allies have tried to emphasise the areas he agrees with Trump and explain away the high-profile breaks.He has said that Trump has admiringly called him a "tough cookie" in private conversations, punctuating the point with a serviceable impersonation of the president."I voted with the party 90% of the time," Massie said during his Shelbyville appearance.
"The problem we have is not that I'm voting against the Republican Party up there, it's that the Republican Party up there is sometimes voting against Republican people back home. That's the 10% of the time."He said that his votes against massive spending packages that contain provisions he opposes meant that critics can attack him for blocking popular measures also in the legislation. But his opposition, he contended, made the final versions of the legislation better."The negotiation starts when one person says no," he said.
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