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All posts tagged "thomas massie"

MAGA freaks out over pictures of Trump's enemies vacationing together

MAGA had plenty to say on Wednesday after reports surfaced that two of President Donald Trump's enemies were vacationing together in Costa Rica.

In an image shared by TMZ, vocal critic Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) poses for a photo in the sand next to former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and their respective significant others. Massie, who challenged Trump's policies, worked closely with Greene to force the Justice Department to release the Epstein files. The two conservatives have been targeted in a multitude of attacks from Trump — and now MAGA. The embattled Republican lost his seat in the primary after Trump endorsed challenger Ed Gallrein in the most expensive House primary election in history. Greene resigned from her position in Congress at the end of her term in January after months of calling out the president and his administration amid an ongoing economic crisis, criticizing Trump's policies and focus on international matters.

MAGA followers melted down over the photo.

"Called it," right-wing influencer Laura Loomer wrote on X.

"Why does Massie's wife have a dress and sweater on? Photoshopped?" User Phyllis, a frequent conservative political commentator with more than 62,000 followers, wrote on X.

"A lot of butt kissing going on here...." User MAGA Me, an account with 36,000 followers that posts MAGA-related content and comments, wrote on X.

"Based," MAGA commentator Nicholas J. Stelzner, who self-identifies as "America First" and has more than 16,000 followers, wrote on X.

'Watching MAGA light itself on fire': Internet floored as Trump's foe opens door to 2028

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, left the internet surprised on Monday after announcing he might be considering a political comeback just days after losing his primary election to a President Donald Trump-endorsed challenger.

Massie wrote in a post on X that he filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for the 2028 election — keeping the details vague.

"I filed with FEC for the 2028 House race. This allows me to raise funds to continue my political operations supporting my position as a current office holder and as a potential candidate for federal office. I haven’t made a final decision about which office to seek, if I run," he wrote.

On social media, political experts and commentators reacted to the news.

"Watching MAGA light itself on fire will be soothing and cathartic," former Illinois Republican congressman and veteran Adam Kinzinger wrote on X.

"Thomas Massie for checkmate," White House columnist and podcaster Brian Karem wrote on X.

"The sign will stand as a placeholder," Jesse Lyons, a political commentator with more than 7,000 followers who self-describes as a "contrarian libertarian," wrote on X, sharing a Massie campaign sign on a grass lawn.

"Thomas Massie has officially filed a statement of candidacy, allowing him to begin raising money for a potential 2028 presidential run," Brian Allen, podcast host and political commentator with more than 301,000 followers, wrote on X. "That instantly changes the meaning behind a lot of what’s happening right now. Because Massie is no longer just fighting Trump politically. He’s positioning himself as a possible post-Trump alternative for the faction of the right that: distrusts foreign intervention, hates establishment Republicans, opposes surveillance expansion, views the GOP as drifting too far into loyalty politics, Epstein-class protectors, and fighting foreign wars. The Republican civil war is getting more real by the week."

Rebel Republican hints at comeback in 2028 after primary defeat

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) signaled he could be considering a political comeback just days after losing his primary election to a President Donald Trump-backed challenger, according to reports on Monday.

Massie has been an outspoken critic of Trump and announced in a post on X that he filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for the 2028 election, The Hill reported.

"I filed with FEC for the 2028 House race. This allows me to raise funds to continue my political operations supporting my position as a current office holder and as a potential candidate for federal office. I haven’t made a final decision about which office to seek, if I run," Massie wrote.

The filing revealed that Massie has selected his Kentucky-based campaign committee as his main committee for 2028, according to The Hill.

"He also authorized the Transportation Trust Fund to 'receive and expend' funds on his behalf. The Wisconsin-based joint fundraising committee raises money on behalf of the campaign committees of more than 30 House Republicans," The Hill reported.

Ed Gallrein won the GOP primary last Tuesday in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District. Trump endorsed Gallrein in the fallout over Massie's push to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, his opposition to the Iran war and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, among other political differences.

Massie supporters started chanting "2028" during his concession speech.

"When Massie replied that the crowd wanted him to run for Congress again, his supporters yelled, 'No,' and repeatedly chanted, 'President,' The Hill reported.

Massie responded to the chanting, saying "Alright, well you’ve made a compelling argument, you spoke your peace, but I need a medical margarita right now and we’ll talk about it later."

Revealed: The cult that helped bring down one of Trump's biggest foes

A new theory has revealed that a cult was reportedly behind the sex secret allegations that led an ex-girlfriend of one of President Donald Trump's enemies to "kiss and tell," according to a report published Thursday.

The Bulwark's Will Sommer wrote how Cynthia West — a candidate for the Okaloosa School Board race in Florida — was telling right-wing media alleged personal information about her former boyfriend Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) as he was in the final days fighting to maintain his seat in Congress after Trump and his allies had fought to remove him.

West told Laura Loomer during her show that Massie had referred to his genitals as a "pine cone" and "claimed he slept with Rep. Lauren Boebert just weeks after his wife’s death in 2024." Massie has acknowledged that he dated West but has not commented on the claims.

Sommer described what prompted West to make these public claims.

"Of course, we can’t rule out the hidden hand of Trumpworld," Sommer wrote. "Trump, who promoted Loomer’s interview with West, clearly disliked Massie and helped drive him out of office. And for her part, West first publicized her salacious claims with the help of a Kentucky lawyer she described as meeting through a mutual friend 'in political circles,' though she insists she isn’t getting paid. In January, West posted a picture of herself driving to what she said was Mar-a-Lago."

"I think part of the answer to the strange question of West’s motivations lies in a very different type of dirty deeds," Sommer wrote. "I’m talking about West’s affiliation with a cult-like group of memestock investors known as 'MMTLP,' who dream of attaining untold riches—and resent lawmakers like Massie who won’t help them."

West apparently has ties to MMTLP, a "Frankenstein stock" that came out of the memestock explosions following the Gamestop and AMC stock trading. It included a company known as Meta Materials and a stripper pole manufacturer that captured the attention of retail investors.

"As West’s jilted-lover revenge-tour began in earnest this week, she offered several clues to her 'MMTLP' affiliations that were barely noticed by the national media," Sommer wrote. "For instance, she shared an X post that linked Massie with Jeffrey Epstein and Bill Gates and argued he had betrayed members of the MMTLP movement, despite dating 'MMTLP shareholder/advocate' West."

"Investors felt sure that the stock was facing the type of 'short squeeze' that would cause its price to skyrocket—the very thing that had propelled Gamestop to extraordinary heights just months earlier," Sommer wrote.

But the SEC started to question the MMTLP stock and a 2024 SEC complaint exposed that it could have been a "fantasy," or "exactly what executives at the combined companies wanted investors to believe."

"Sensing something sketchy, federal regulators halted trading right before the company went private—cutting off any chance at a lucrative short squeeze, and leaving retail MMTLP investors stuck with a bag of worthless, untradeable stocks," Sommer wrote.

"Rather than blaming the companies that hatched the scheme, angry MMTLP holders tried to convince the government to bail them out and punish the regulatory bodies they claim rigged the game in favor of short-sellers," Sommer added. "Even now, years later, they still bemoan their substantial losses in live X spaces, or dress up in bird costumes to demand justice. Inevitably, the bagholders have concocted conspiracy theories that blame their misfortunes on interference from a cabal that stretches from Epstein to meddling federal regulators."

And the group believed that Massie's defeat was "deserved."

"'You should have helped MMTLP and respect [sic] Cynthia,' crowed one jilted investor to Massie after Loomer posted about West’s story. 'Now instead you got MMTLPed.'"

Ex-GOP strategist barely recognizes ex-client John Cornyn now: 'Such a sad case'

A former top GOP strategist says that he can barely recognize a senator, who is one of his former clients, after Trump surprisingly endorsed his opponent right before a primary.

"John Cornyn is just such a sad case," Stuart Stevens said on the latest episode of Harry Litman's podcast. "I now look at him, and I don't recognize him."

Cornyn (R-TX) is fighting for his political life after Trump endorsed his primary opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

"He looks just so defeated," Stevens said about Cornyn. "Had he fought Trump, would he have won? Probably not. But would he feel a lot better about himself the day after he loses? I would certainly think so."

Stevens speculated that Trump saw polling numbers that said Paxton was ahead and didn't "want to be seen as a loser" by endorsing Cornyn.

"He's not going to endorse the guy who loses," Stevens reiterated. "If you're like a really good football team, and you trade for Tom Brady, you're probably not going to do worse."

Stevens brought up Cornyn while talking about another one of his former clients, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).

"I'll say this about Massie versus John Cornyn, my former client, who basically lost a day before, probably when Trump endorsed Paxton," Stevens said. "At least Massie went down fighting, and I'd a lot rather be him today than John Cornyn the day after the Texas primary when he loses."

Cornyn thought that "he could feed the alligator, and the alligator would eat him last," referring to Trump and Cornyn's efforts to appease him.

"It just never works that way," he explained. "It is so sad."

GOP senators are surprised by Trump endorsing Paxton, Stevens added, but his thought is, "What did you think you signed up for?"


Emboldened Trump fires a warning shot at Lauren Boebert

President Donald Trump hinted on Wednesday that a Republican lawmaker who crossed him and sided with the president's foe Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) could be next on his revenge list.

Trump revived his threats against Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), "an 'America First' firebrand who broke with the president by pushing to release the Jeffrey Epstein files and campaigning with Massie last weekend," according to a report from Politico's Playbook.

The president told reporters that he would consider a challenger to Boebert's primary election on June 30, despite the fact that "it’s a little late in the race," and that he would "give a look if somebody raises their hand to run against her," Politico reported.

After Massie's defeat on Tuesday night in the most expensive House primary in history, Boebert wrote "Trump is my President!" in a post on X.

Massie had claimed earlier this month that Trump had retaliated against Boebert after she didn't follow his demands to remove her name from the discharge petition to release government documents connected to Epstein, taking her to the Situation Room to give her the ultimatum, which she ultimately defied.

Trump rages as GOP foe resurfaces old endorsement: 'Withdraw your fake statement!'

President Donald Trump was angry on Tuesday after Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) — a sharp critic of the president — pointed out that Trump had endorsed him in the past.

Massie, an incumbent lawmaker fighting to maintain his congressional seat as a Republican representing Kentucky, has been going up against Trump-backed candidate Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein in a heated primary that's been called the most expensive House primary in history.

Hours before polls were set to close, Trump tore into Massie, who has publicly questioned the president's ties to late financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Iran war and the country's affordability crisis. The president lambasted the longtime GOP leader on his Truth Social platform.

"Horrible Congressman Thomas Massie put out an old Endorsement, from many years ago, of him by me long before I found out that he was the Worst Congressman in the History of our Country," Trump wrote. "I endorsed Ed Gallrein, a true American Patriot, which Massie knows full well, so the statement that he put out is fraudulent, just like HE is fraudulent. WITHDRAW YOUR FAKE STATEMENT, MASSIE, RIGHT NOW! President DONALD J. TRUMP."

Pete Hegseth being tested as Trump replacement with new 'campaign debut': expert

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's unusual stop along the campaign trail in the Kentucky congressional race might signal he could be considering a run for president in 2028, an analyst reported on Monday.

Associated Press White House reporter Michelle Price told CNN anchor Dana Bash and a panel of political experts that Hegseth's speech supporting President Donald Trump-endorsed candidate Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL challenging Trump's foe Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), could reveal more about Hegseth's political future.

Massie has said that Trump and his administration, whose approval ratings have plummeted amid the Iran war and rising costs of living, were taking extreme measures to try to unseat him in his race for re-election.

"They're desperate. That's why they're sending the secretary of war to my district tomorrow," Massie told ABC News on Sunday. "That's why the president is losing sleep and tweeting about this. That's why AIPAC has dumped another $3 million into my race this weekend. It's because they're panicked and they really haven't been able to gain a lead in this race."

Price described why there could be more behind Hegseth's visit.

"The congressman says desperate. One man's desperate is another is determined. This is personal," Price said. "This has been going on a long time. Remember that Congressman Massie actually endorsed Ron DeSantis in the 2024 primary. He was one of the few congressmen to do that. So there's a lot here. It wasn't just one issue that kind of set them up for this conflict."

"What's interesting is we've also heard that Pete Hegseth might be potentially interested in running for president," Price added. "This is a very interesting kind of campaign debut, and I do wonder if on some level, we know that the president likes to kind of test how people are on the campaign trail. If we're going to see some of that Hegseth campaign style today."

Hegseth drops war duties to help Trump settle 'petty' score with GOP nemesis: report

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth paused Iran war duties on Monday to take on President Donald Trump's Republican foe, according to reports.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who has served seven terms in the House of Representatives for Kentucky, has been a frequent critic of Trump. And now, Hegseth has made a rare move to try to influence the upcoming race for the Bluegrass State's primary on Tuesday, reported The Swamp, a Substack from The Daily Beast.

"Lest we forget, there is a war on," The Swamp reported. "That won’t stop the Defense Secretary (who likes to insist he is the War Secretary even though a legal change of title requires a congressional vote) from taking time out from serving his country to help his boss settle his petty grievances."

Massie has questioned Trump over his ties to late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his Republican values — and in turn the president has attacked the rebel GOP lawmaker for those comments. Massie "could pay the price when the primary ballot in the state’s 4th congressional district opens on Tuesday," according to The Swamp.

"Pentagon Pete Hegseth is flying to Kentucky (supposedly on his own dime) to join Massie’s MAGA/Trump-backed challenger, former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, on stage at lunchtime in Hebron for an America First Works event," according to The Swamp.

"Nobody in D.C. can remember a serving Pentagon chief doing something so overtly political, especially while America was at war," The Swamp reported. "But this is the Trump administration, and all bets are off," The Swamp reported.

Trump has supported candidates who run against Republicans who have challenged him. In Indiana, Trump endorsed four candidates running against incumbent Republican lawmakers who voted against his redistricting demands in the Hoosier State. And in Louisiana, Trump endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow for the Senate, ousting Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) because Cassidy had voted to convict Trump during one of his impeachment hearings in Trump's first administration over the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol. Letlow will now face off against John Fleming, the state's treasurer and a former Trump administration official, in the runoff election on June 27, according to The Associated Press.

"It’s not looking great for Massie following the bashing another Trump critic, Senator Bill Cassidy, took at the weekend in the Louisiana GOP primary. But if anything could help revive his chances of clinging to his seat, an appearance by the hapless Hegseth might help turn things around," The Swamp reported.

​Trump goes on midnight rampage against GOP lawmaker

President Donald Trump has intensified his retribution campaign against Republican lawmakers who don't toe his line, launching a scathing midnight attack on Kentucky Rep. Tom Massie after a GOP senator lost his race.

"Tom Massie of Kentucky, the worst and most unreliable Republican Congressman in the history of our Country, is an even bigger insult to our Nation than Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who suffered an unprecedented loss tonight by not even being allowed to run in the Republican Primary," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post at 12:40 AM Eastern in which he gloated about Cassidy being barred from seeking reelection in the senate contest. Trump cast Cassidy's exclusion from the primary ballot as unprecedented punishment, attributing it directly to his impeachment vote against Trump during term one.

Trump went on to claim "Massie, a major Sleazebag, is even worse!"

"Kentucky, get this LOSER out of politics in Tuesday’s Election," Trump demanded. "He is nicknamed Rand Paul Jr., another real 'beauty,' because of his absolutely terrible voting habits."

Trump went on to explicitly promote Ed Gallrein, Massie's challenger, characterizing him as a "great man" and "American War Hero" who represents true loyalty to Trump personally.

The post signals Trump's willingness to leverage endorsements for his goals. Having already threatened to revoke his endorsement of Rep. Lauren Boebert for campaigning on Massie's behalf, Trump is now using a loss for Cassidy as a weapon against the perceived intraparty foe.