{"id":1291,"date":"2026-05-17T18:40:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T18:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/?p=1291"},"modified":"2026-05-17T18:40:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T18:40:03","slug":"trump-attacks-massie-as-republican-critic-describes-desperate-attempts-to-oust-him-from-primary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/?p=1291","title":{"rendered":"Trump attacks Massie as Republican critic describes \u2018desperate\u2019 attempts to oust him from primary"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"3b2c9092-512d-414b-9aaa-5ed7f79b2688\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"man in suit speaks into microphone\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/a66a935e60878e7844fa2d1051c9f0144b334d9c\/293_0_3340_2672\/master\/3340.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Thomas Massie speaks during a House judiciary committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington DC on 4 March.<\/span> Photograph: Kylie Cooper\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"3b2c9092-512d-414b-9aaa-5ed7f79b2688\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Thomas Massie speaks during a House judiciary committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington DC on 4 March.<\/span> Photograph: Kylie Cooper\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Trump attacks Massie as Republican critic describes \u2018desperate\u2019 attempts to oust him from primary<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>US president writes \u2018vote the bum out\u2019 as congressman faces close race against Trump-endorsed Republican<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">With two days to go before the next big test of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s iron grip over his party, the president went head-to-head on Sunday with his nemesis, Thomas Massie the Kentucky congressman who is in a fight for his political life in Tuesday\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/republicans\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Republican<\/a> primary.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Over an eight-hour period starting in the early hours of Sunday, Trump took to his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/12\/trump-late-night-social-media-posts\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">bully pulpit<\/a> on Truth Social to taunt Massie, one of very few senior Republicans who has dared <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/feb\/09\/howard-lutnick-thomas-massie-resign-epstein-files\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">to<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/nov\/16\/trump-epstein-files-republican\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">defy<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/dec\/27\/kentucky-republican-thomas-massie-trump-epstein-files\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">him<\/a>. Massie is the \u201cworst and most unreliable Republican Congressman in the history of our Country\u201d, the rant began, followed by a mid-morning exhortation to Kentucky voters to \u201cvote the bum out on Tuesday\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Massie has been a consistent thorn in Trump\u2019s side, voting against his signature tax and spending cuts bill, helping to force the justice department to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, and insisting on congressional oversight over the military actions <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/mar\/05\/us-house-war-powers-resolution-vote\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">in<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jan\/22\/house-war-powers-resolution-trump-military-venezuela\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Venezuela<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/mar\/21\/trump-iran-war-stirs-anger-maga-kentucky\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">and<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/jun\/17\/trump-us-iran-israel-war\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Iran<\/a>. Now he faces a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/16\/kentucky-republican-primary-election-massie-gallrein\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">bruising primary<\/a> against his Trump-endorsed challenger, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edgallrein.com\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Ed Gallrein<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"3723e274-ac81-45ef-9977-79051846477f\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-3 | 3\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-1bg5532\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/16\/kentucky-republican-primary-election-massie-gallrein\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">Can a Republican defy Donald Trump and survive? Kentucky voters will decide<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Undeterred by Trump\u2019s lurid attacks, Massie put on a brave face on the Sunday political show This Week on ABC News. \u201cI\u2019m the only one they haven\u2019t been able to bully,\u201d he said, adding: \u201cI\u2019m ahead in the polls, and they\u2019re desperate \u2026 That\u2019s why the president\u2019s losing sleep and tweeting about this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In fact, Massie\u2019s position is not as comfortable as he made out. An independent poll by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courier-journal.com\/story\/News\/politics\/elections\/2026\/05\/13\/thomas-massie-ed-gallrein-kentucky-primary-election-poll\/90058946007\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Quantus Insights<\/a> last week put Gallrein, a farmer and retired US Navy Seal, ahead of the incumbent representative 48% to 43%, with 8% undecided.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Massie insisted on CNN that he was buoyed up by the support of anti-abortion and gun rights groups in the state, and by millions of dollars in donations from grassroots voters. By contrast, he blamed super-wealthy donors including Miriam Adelson and Paul Singer and what he called the \u201cIsraeli lobby\u201d for bombarding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/kentucky\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Kentucky<\/a> with money to unseat him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The prevailing political wind is certainly in Trump\u2019s direction, as he continues to stamp out any sign of autonomous thought within his party. On Saturday Bill Cassidy, the Republican senator from Louisiana, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/17\/republican-louisiana-senator-bill-cassidy-results-primary-trump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">was ousted<\/a> in a primary as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/06\/repbulicans-loyal-trump-indiana-primary-election\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">punishment<\/a> for having voted to convict Trump in his 2021 impeachment over the January 6 insurrection.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Julia Letlow, a US representative endorsed by Trump, and the state treasurer John Fleming both surpassed Cassidy and will now compete in a runoff election on 27 June.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Though Cassidy did not mention the president by name, he left little to the imagination in his concession speech. \u201cIf someone attempts to control others through using the levers of power, they\u2019re about serving themselves, they\u2019re not about serving us, and that person was not qualified to be a leader,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Cassidy\u2019s ejection means that of the seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump in the January 6 impeachment trial, only two remain in place \u2013 Susan Collins, who is in a tough re-election fight in Maine, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/13\/trump-iran-senate-war-powers\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Lisa Murkowski<\/a> from Alaska. Only one of the 10 Republican House members who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 are left running for re-election in November: David Valadao from California.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThe headline is: Trump strong,\u201d said Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina, on NBC News\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/meet-the-press\/video\/lindsey-graham-bill-cassidy-s-loss-shows-there-s-no-room-in-this-party-to-destroy-trump-s-agenda-263475781873?utm_campaign=trueanthem&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Meet the Press<\/a>. \u201cBill Cassidy lost because he tried to destroy Trump, Massie is going to lose because he tried to destroy the agenda. If you try and destroy him, you are going to get destroyed \u2013 that\u2019s the takeaway.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"da13c84d-09cc-4eca-93d7-669cd137279a\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-12 | 12\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-1bg5532\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/16\/lauren-boebert-trump-funds-colorado-drink-water-funds-tina-peters\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">Lauren Boebert suggests Trump withheld funds to Colorado over prosecution of election denier<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/mike-johnson\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Mike Johnson<\/a>, the Republican speaker of the US House, issued the same effective threat to would-be dissenters in his party in an interview with Fox News Sunday, though he cast it in more fluffy language. Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/feb\/25\/trump-midterm-elections-voting-influence\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">impact<\/a> on elections across the country showed that he wielded \u201cthe most powerful endorsement in the history of politics\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Trump\u2019s enduring ability to spread fear across his party and effectively silence any internal opposition runs counter to his overall standing with the American people. The US-Israel war with Iran, and the consequent economic fallout including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/11\/trump-federal-gas-tax-prices\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">rising fuel prices<\/a>, are taking their toll.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">A new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/cbs-news-poll-stress-uncertainty-economy-views-decline\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">CBS News poll<\/a> found that approval of Trump\u2019s handling of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/business\/2026\/may\/12\/us-inflation-april-iran-war\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">inflation<\/a> among Republicans has fallen from 74% in March to 63%. When asked how they felt about Trump\u2019s approach to the economy, 70% of all respondents said they were frustrated or angry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The combination of Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/03\/trump-disapproval-rating-poll\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">unpopularity<\/a> among American voters as a whole and his rigid control of his party is being read as a potential opportunity by Democrats. Pete Buttigieg, the former US transportation secretary under Joe Biden and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/apr\/09\/democrats-national-action-cetwork-convention-2026-midterms\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">possible 2028 presidential contender<\/a>, told CNN\u2019s State of the Union that he saw a \u201cbig opening for Democrats\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Under Trump\u2019s unbending control, \u201cwe are seeing more and more extreme candidates put forward in their House and Senate races,\u201d Buttigieg said. \u201cThe Republican party is organized less and less around conservative principles, more and more around one man, and as that one man remains deeply unpopular they\u2019re finding they\u2019re having a very hard time convincing the rest of America to vote for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/republicans\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Republicans<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/kentucky\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Kentucky<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/house-of-representatives\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">House of Representatives<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-congress\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US Congress<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Trump%20attacks%20Massie%20as%20Republican%20critic%20describes%20%E2%80%98desperate%E2%80%99%20attempts%20to%20oust%20him%20from%20primary&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/17\/trump-thomas-massie-primary?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F17%2Ftrump-thomas-massie-primary&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/17\/trump-thomas-massie-primary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thomas Massie speaks during a House judiciary committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington DC on 4 March.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1291"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1293,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1291\/revisions\/1293"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}