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By Steve Mollman
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Representative Thomas Massie responded on Thursday to President Donald Trump calling him a “moron” earlier in the day at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC.
Trump said of the Kentucky Republican, “He’s an automatic ‘no,’ no matter what. If we did welfare reform, if we did the greatest thing in history for religion—no matter what we did, no matter how good it is, the greatest tax cuts, we just did the greatest tax cuts in history, he voted against. No matter what we do, this moron, no matter what it is…We call him Rand Paul Jr.”
Massie responded on X later on Thursday: “The President of the United States called me a moron at the National Prayer Breakfast this morning because I’m still fighting for what he promised the American people: Reduce big spending, DOGE, no new wars, end foreign aid, defend 1A 2A 4A, prolife, and expose sex traffickers.”
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Why It Matters
Libertarian-leaning Massie, an outlier in the Republican Party and frequent critic of Trump, has been a thorn in the side of the administration. Trump’s attacks on him go beyond a personal feud. They are a sign of how the administration will respond to dissent within GOP ranks—and a warning to other Republican lawmakers ahead of the midterms later this year, when control of Congress is at stake.
What To Know
Massie, who has shown no signs of backing down despite frequent attacks from the Trump admin, has a long track record of opposing the president. As an anti-interventionist in foreign affairs, for example, he opposed the military operation in which U.S. forces captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, writing on X, “Wake up MAGA. VENEZUELA is not about drugs; it’s about OIL and REGIME CHANGE. This is not what we voted for.”
He also teamed up last month with Democratic colleague Ro Khanna to ask a federal judge to appoint a special master to oversee the release of the Epstein files, stating that the Department of Justice “cannot be trusted” to make mandatory disclosures under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
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Massie was also one of the few House Republicans to vote against the Trump-backed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which earned him praise and a pledge to support his reelection campaign from Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The outspoken billionaire called the bill a “massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill” and a “disgusting abomination,” with which Massie agreed.
In October, Trump backed Navy veteran Ed Gallrein to challenge Massie for his seat in the midterms later this year.
What People Are Saying
Former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X this week: “Thomas Massie votes with the President 91% of the time, but won’t vote to protect Epstein’s sick pedophile and rapists friends or send American’s hard earned tax dollars to Israel’s wars or any other foreign country…And all the weak Republicans in the House stay silent refusing to utter even a word of support for their ‘friend’ Thomas Massie. Shame on every one of you.”
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social in October: “Third Rate Congressman Thomas Massie, a Weak and Pathetic RINO from the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, a place I love, and won big SIX TIMES, must be thrown out of office, ASAP!”
Elon Musk told Massie on X in July after pledging to back his reelection campaign: “You’re awesome.”
What Happens Next
Massie will face Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein in the midterms in November.
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