Trump Threatens To Primary Massie After His Promise To Vote 'No' On Funding Bill

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If anything, Donald Trump should view Thomas Massie as part of the vanguard in the America First movement. Massie embodies the antithesis of everything wrong with Washington. Unlike the proverbial swamp that Trump has promised to drain since first running for president in 2016, Massie is a man with conviction and integrity that very much makes him an iconoclast of the ruling establishment. Yet, instead of making Massie a valuable ally in the quest to dismantle the Deep State, Trump has decided to put the libertarian congressman in his crosshairs. Following his decision to vote 'no' on the upcoming vote on the Continuing Resolution aimed at averting a partial government shutdown, Trump has vowed to lead a crusade to primary Massie ahead of his potential re-election bid in the 2026 Midterm Elections.

Last month, Massie was the lone Republican in the House Of Representatives to vote against the GOP's budget. He cited the lack of spending cuts that are projected to add around $300 billion a year to the federal deficit over the next 3 years, projecting to balloon the US debt by $20 over a 20-year period as the reason behind his decision to vote 'no' on the bill. Despite his objection, the budget passed despite a mid-day revolt by conservative hardliners. Massie initially held out alongside Republican Representatives Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Victoria Spartz of Indiana, and Warren Davidson of Ohio. Following the abdication of their position alongside him against the budget, the vote passed along party lines with the exception of Massie by a vote of 217-215.

Heading into this week's vote on a CR to keep the government fully operational, Massie has reprised the position he had on the Republican budget by announcing his adamant stance against the resolution. Massie emphatically announced his intent to vote against the CR, mincing no words by stating "Unless I get a lobotomy Monday that causes me to forget what I’ve witnessed the past 12 years, I’ll be a NO on the CR this week. It amazes me that my colleagues and many of the public fall for the lie that we will fight another day,"

Massie's vitriol of the CR was juxtaposed with an emphatic endorsement of the proposed funding bill by President Trump. "Great things are coming for America, and I am asking you all to give us a few months to get us through to September so we can continue to put the Country’s ‘financial house’ in order. Democrats will do anything they can to shut down our Government, and we can’t let that happen. We have to remain UNITED — NO DISSENT — Fight for another day when the timing is right. VERY IMPORTANT. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Trump wrote in a statement posted Saturday on Truth Social compelling all Republicans to vote to pass the CR. Congress has until midnight on Friday to pass a bill to avert a partial government shutdown.

Trump's call for Republicans to pass the CR was echoed by House Freedom Caucus Chair, Representative Andy Harris of Maryland, who announced his factions support for the funding bill. "Congress must keep the government open so that DOGE can continue to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in our government. This continuing resolution is necessary to advance President Trump's agenda. I fully support it," Harris posted on X. Bolstered by confidence in the Trump administration's commitment to reduce the nation's debt led by DOGE, Harris' support for the bill was echoed by other Republican members of Congress who normally oppose CRs. “I don’t like CRs,” Republican Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina said regarding the funding bill, adding the caveat “But what’s the alternative? Negotiate with Democrats? No.”

With the Freedom Caucus announcing its support of the CR, Massie's position against the funding bill put the Kentucky Representative in the spotlight, leaving no escape from Trump's ire. Trump responded to the Freedom Caucus' support for the CR to thank it for its decision. The President used that opportunity to lambaste Massie for his intent to vote against it, labeling him as an "automatic 'no' vote on just about everything" and a "GRANDSTANDER" while announcing his intent to lead the charge against him to primary him ahead of his potential 2026 re-election bid.

This isn't the only occasion in which Trump has promised to primary Massie. Trump made the same threat against Massie after the congressman opposed the CARES Act. Massie raised significant constitutional questions about the absentee voting on the bill, requesting a quorum that required 218 members of Congress to be present for the vote. Massie defended his actions by stating "I swore an oath to uphold the constitution, and I take that oath seriously."  Ultimately, Massie served as the lone Republican vote against the bill which funded lockdowns, the Paycheck Protection Program, and mail-in elections, and a litany of other provisions only made possible by the legislation's $2 trillion of reckless spending after driving hundreds of miles from his home in Kentucky to Washington DC to make his vote.

Despite Trump's promise to do everything in his power to support Massie's primary opponents in the 2020 Election, he won his primary by a landslide which led to Trump capitulating and ultimately announcing his endorsement against his Democratic opposition.

Unlike 2020, Thomas Massie's potential quest for re-election in 2026 is far less certain. That isn't due to the Kentucky Representative losing the support of his constituents that would aid in Trump leading a successful crusade to primary him. Instead, it's because of a myriad of paths Massie has to pursue to further the trajectory of his political career. With Kentucky Senior Senator Mitch McConnell announcing he will not seek re-election, Massie has been floated as one of the favorites to be his successor. Massie has also teased the idea that he would run for Governor Of Kentucky, citing the imperative of strong state leadership in the fight for decentralization from Washington.

Whatever the future does hold for Thomas Massie, one thing is clear; that his unwavering commitment to the Constitution makes him one of the very few politicians that can be trusted to place the interests of the American people above all else. His unquestionable integrity demonstrates how misguided Trump's crusade against him is if the president truly intends to fulfill his promise to put America first.