Representative Thomas Massie said on Sunday that President Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on him over the weekend amount to a "desperate" effort to influence the outcome of the Kentucky Republican primary scheduled for Tuesday.
Massie has been a frequent intraparty critic of Trump, including breaking with the president on major legislative matters and on the Iran war. He also led his party’s initiative to push for release of government files related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The lawmaker is locked in a primary contest with Ed Gallrein, a former U.S. Navy SEAL who was hand-picked and publicly supported by Trump. Polling in the race is mixed: some surveys show Massie in the lead while others put Gallrein ahead.
Over the weekend the president repeatedly targeted Massie on social media, posting at least four attacks. On Sunday, Trump labeled Massie:
"The Worst Republican Congressman in History" and called him "a true negative force!!!"
Trump also criticized Representative Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, for her support of Massie and said he would welcome a primary challenger to her.
Observers note that Trump’s campaign of retribution against Republicans who have opposed him has seen tangible results: two-term Republican U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy was defeated in his re-election bid in Louisiana’s primary on Saturday.
Speaking on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, Massie said that every mention by Trump on social media tends to spur a fundraising boost for his campaign. He said this pattern, coupled with the president’s repeated attacks, led him to conclude that Trump is "desperate" to remove him from office.
Contextual note: The race in Kentucky is being watched as a test of Trump’s continued sway within the Republican Party, with Massie presenting a challenge to that influence.