Rep. Massie doubles down in feud with Trump
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Rep. Thomas Massie speaks to reporters at the Capitol on March 11. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Rep. Thomas Massie is adding fuel to the fire in his fight with President Trump, poking fun at Vice President JD Vance in a new post on X.
Why it matters: Trump and his allies have gone into full-blown attack mode against Massie after the Kentucky Republican opposed the sweeping tax and spending bill key to the president's domestic policy agenda.
- Massie on Tuesday tangled with Vance on X after Vance wrote, "I wonder if other VPs had as much excitement as I do."
- Massie shot back: "Ask Mike Pence about his last month," referencing the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
- Over the weekend, Massie called Trump's strikes on Iran "not Constitutional," prompting the president to proclaim Massie as "not MAGA."
State of play: The long-standing feud between Massie and Trump escalated over the weekend when the president pledged to campaign "hard" for a primary challenger.
- Axios was first to report that Trump's political team launched a super PAC devoted to ousting Massie in the May 2026 primary.
Massie brushed off Trump's attacks Monday, touting his fundraising haul and speculating that Trump may not ultimately get involved in his race.
- "I've raised $120,000 in the last 24 hours, and ultimately the president hates to lose," Massie told Axios
- "If they don't follow through on this, this will all be blown over and nobody will remember it, other than it just increased my name ID," he added.
Between the lines: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) gave a tepid response when asked if he would back Massie against a primary challenger.
- "My role, with my party cap on, is I'm leader of my party here, and the speaker leads the incumbent protection program," Johnson said.
- "But I certainly understand the president's frustration about the colleague you named, and he and I talk about that quite a bit," he added.
The bottom line: Massie has been a consistent headache for GOP leadership when it comes to getting their legislative priorities across the finish line while working with a razor-thin majority.
