Outgoing Republican congressman Thomas Massie has warned that Donald Trump's party faces a damaging rejection at the ballot box in November, citing 'Trump disappointment syndrome' among voters. Massie, a libertarian-leaning representative from Kentucky, was ousted in a primary this week by a challenger endorsed by the president.
Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, Massie said Trump has 'disenfranchised' many of the Americans who voted for him in 2024. He pointed to groups such as 'Make America healthy again' campaigners, fiscal hawks, and anti-war voters who have been 'alienated' by the administration. 'I think what's going to happen to the party this fall is they've disenfranchised a large portion of that constituency,' he said.
Massie, who has repeatedly broken with Trump over issues including military action against Iran, government spending, and the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, expressed no regrets. He described his efforts to release the Epstein files as the 'biggest crime' he committed against 'the swamp', and suggested that this prompted his defeat.
Massie lost to Ed Gallrein in the most expensive US congressional primary race in history. Trump had called Massie a 'moron' and 'loser', and campaigned against him in Kentucky. Celebrating Massie's defeat, Trump said: 'He was a bad guy. He deserves to lose.'
Massie, who will serve out the remainder of his term, vowed to continue 'going against the grain' and voting for principles over party. He warned that the party's treatment of dissenting voices could cost it dearly in the midterms.
