WASHINGTON, May 16 - President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to withdraw his backing of Representative Lauren Boebert and urged a primary challenge after she made campaign appearances for Representative Thomas Massie in his Kentucky district.
On the social media platform Truth Social, Trump sharply criticized Massie, calling him "the Worst 'Republican' Congressman in the History of our Country, Thomas Massie, of the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky," and added that "anybody who can be that dumb deserves a good Primary fight!"
Trump has publicly vowed to unseat Massie, a Republican lawmaker who has clashed with the president on major legislation and on matters related to the Iran war. Massie also spearheaded his party's effort to make government records on the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein public, according to his critics and coverage of his actions.
Hours before Trump’s post, Representative Boebert traveled to Massie’s district to campaign on his behalf. Massie is contending with a Trump-endorsed opponent, Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL, in Tuesday's Republican primary in Kentucky.
In addition to criticizing Massie, Trump used Truth Social to signal his openness to challengers targeting Boebert herself. "Is anyone interested in running against Weak Minded Lauren Boebert in Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District?" he wrote. "Just let me know, or announce your Candidacy, and I will be there for you!"
Trump’s stated intention to remove Massie from office - and his public willingness to encourage a primary against Boebert - underscores a broader intra-party dispute. The president’s effort to unseat Massie is being framed as a test of his influence within the Republican Party.
Massie’s record of defiance on votes described in coverage and his leadership on the push to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein are central to the tensions now playing out ahead of the Kentucky primary. The immediate political contest pits the incumbent against a Trump-backed challenger and has drawn high-profile attention in part because of the president’s public remarks.
Clear summary: President Trump threatened a primary challenge against Representative Lauren Boebert after she campaigned for Representative Thomas Massie, whom Trump has vowed to unseat. Massie has opposed the president on major legislation and the Iran war, and led an effort to release government records on Jeffrey Epstein. Massie faces Ed Gallrein, a Trump-endorsed retired Navy SEAL, in a Republican primary on Tuesday.