President Donald Trump said Monday that he will “lead” an effort to turf out a Republican lawmaker who refused to show his support for a funding bill.
Many of the president’s own devout followers declined to join him.
Trump fumed in a post on his Truth Social platform that Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) “SHOULD BE PRIMARIED, and I will lead the charge against him.”
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He added a call to the people of Kentucky to stand against congressman, asking: “DO I HAVE ANY TAKERS???”
Trump’s attacks came after Massie announced earlier in the day that he would not support a short term spending bill, put forward by House Speaker Mike Johnson, that would keep the government running through end of September.
In announcing his position, Massie said in a social media post that he couldn’t vote to fund the government given that Trump’s billionaire lieutenant Elon Musk, leader of the cost cutting task force DOGE, has said federal spending is rife with “waste, fraud and abuse.”
Massie’s more-MAGA-than-Trump stance earned the backing of many on the right who are, more often than not, in the president’s corner.
“Trump can be wrong about things,” said conservative commentator Matt Walsh, in a social media post. “He’s wrong about Massie. It’s okay to say that.”
He added, in a follow-up: “You can disagree with Massie about [Johnson’s continuing resolution bill]. That’s fine. But the idea that he needs to be ousted from congress is just asinine.”
Conservative talk radio show host Jesse Kelly wrote, in a social media post, that Massie and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), another fiscal hawk who has clashed with GOP leadership, would not lose primaries “because they do what they promised their voters they would do.”
He then suggested Republicans in Washington could either have principles or be Trump lapdogs: “There are two routes to GOP job security: 1. Do what you promised or 2. Follow Trump around washing his golf balls.”
Right-wing YouTuber and pizzagate conspiracist Ian Carroll suggested the president attacked Massie because his point about Trump’s own White House adviser Musk repeatedly claiming spending is rife with fraud “is obvious and embarrassing for Trump.”
Dozens more prominent and everyday conservative social media users echoed their views.
“Whoever told Donald Trump to post about Thomas Massie just now should be fired,” wrote Evan Kilgore, a Holocaust denying one-time ambassador for Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA. “I’ve never seen this quick of a push back and condemnation against something Trump has said by his most loyal followers.”
“Trying to primary Thomas Massie is a mistake,” wrote Philip Anderson, who was charged with participating in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
“It will fail and people will hold it against you. I support both Trump and Massie. But that’s just the reality of it.”
Trump, in his Truth Social post, complained that Massie was “an automatic ‘NO’ vote on just about everything, despite the fact that he has always voted for Continuing Resolutions in the past.”
The libertarian-leaning Massie—who was endorsed by the Libertarian Party in his state—has frequently clashed with Trump and Johnson, whose speakership he opposed, by withholding support when his party failed to satisfy his hawkish fiscal views.
“He’s just another GRANDSTANDER, who’s too much trouble, and not worth the fight,” Trump added, in his post. “He reminds me of Liz Chaney [sic] before her historic, record breaking fall (loss!). The people of Kentucky won’t stand for it, just watch.”
Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who showed a regular willingness to criticize Trump and her party, was ousted by a Trump-backed challenger during a 2022 primary.
Johnson, for his part, on Tuesday directly refuted Trump’s threat. Asked whether he agreed with the president that Massie should be primaried, Johnson said, “Look, I’m in the incumbent protection program here. That’s what I do [as] speaker of the House.”
“Thomas and I have had disagreements but I consider Thomas Massie a friend,” the speaker told reporters at a press conference. “He’s a thoughtful guy.” But he added, “I just vehemently disagree with his position, and I’ll leave it at that.”
Trump has tried—and failed—to turf out Massie before, railing against him during a 2020 primary that he comfortably won.
Massie welcomed another challenge from Trumpworld on Monday.
Trump did find one notable supporter from within his inner circle. Chris LaCivita, who co-managed the president’s 2024 election campaign, tweeted “Tick tock Tommie,” as if to suggest a countdown clock for Massie’s ousting had commenced.
The congressman replied: “Three times I’ve had a challenger who tried to be more MAGA than me. None busted 25% because my constituents prefer transparency and principles over blind allegiance.”
—Juliegrace Brufke contributed reporting to this story.
