May 20, 2025 - Politics & Policy

House GOP campaign arm won't protect lawmakers targeted by Trump

Andrew Solender

House Speaker Mike Johnson wearing a black suit and Trump wearing a blue suit standing in a white marble hallway. — Speaker Mike Johnson and President Trump speak at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 20. Photo: Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images

The chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee told Axios the House GOP's campaign arm will stick with its policy of not intervening in Republican primaries if President Trump tries to knock off incumbents.

Why it matters: Trump told reporters on Tuesday that House Republicans who vote against his "big, beautiful bill" could "possibly" face primary challenges, saying they would be "knocked out so fast."

Trump said Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a key holdout on the bill who the president tried and failed to primary in 2020, "should be voted out of office."

What they're saying: NRCC chair Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), asked about Trump's comments, told Axios, "I don't want to comment on something I didn't hear."

But, pressed further on whether the NRCC would get engaged to protect GOP incumbents targeted by Trump, he said: "We don't do primaries."
The NRCC has long had a formal policy of not spending in GOP primaries — though Republican leadership has occasionally faced accusations of meddling in primaries to protect incumbents.

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House GOP campaign arm won't protect lawmakers targeted by Trump

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