U.S. President Donald Trump publicly lashed out at Kentucky Republican Congressman Thomas Massie on Sunday following Massie’s criticism of Trump’s recent decision to launch strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote:
“Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky is not MAGA, even though he likes to say he is. Actually, MAGA doesn’t want him, doesn’t know him, and doesn’t respect him. He is a negative force who almost always votes ‘NO,’ no matter how good something may be. He’s a simple-minded ‘grandstander’ who thinks it’s good politics for Iran to have the highest level nuclear weapon, while at the same time yelling ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’ at every chance they get. MAGA should drop this pathetic LOSER, Tom Massie, like the plague!”
Trump continued by signaling support for a primary challenger, stating:
“We will have a wonderful American Patriot running against him, and I’ll be out in Kentucky campaigning really hard… The people of Kentucky are going to be watching a very interesting Primary in the not too distant future! DO I HAVE ANY TAKERS???”
Massie’s comments that drew Trump’s ire were made during an interview with CBS News, where the congressman stated:
“I think I represent part of the coalition that elected President Trump. We were tired of endless wars in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. We were promised that we would put our veterans, our immigration policies, and our infrastructure first.”
Massie also criticized the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on U.S. foreign policy and its possible impact on Trump’s decision to strike Iran.
“Somebody was persuasive. AIPAC is very persuasive, for instance. The Israeli lobby in Congress… If you look at my colleagues' feeds now, they all look the same. They're all tweeting the same message—that we’ve got to support Israel and that we’ve got to do this.”
Trump’s attack on Massie and his threat to support a primary opponent reflect increasing divisions within his base, particularly among those who believed his longstanding campaign pledges to avoid foreign entanglements. Since 2015, Trump has built significant political capital on promises to end "forever wars" in the Middle East.