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President Donald Trump on Monday doubled down on his opposition to Republican Congressman Thomas Massie’s (Ky.) bid to win reelection next year, calling him a “Weak and Pathetic RINO” who “must be thrown out of office, ASAP!”
The president instead opted to reiterate his glowing endorsement of Captain Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL and Kentucky farmer, who is running for Massie’s seat next year.
“A Brave Combat Veteran, Ed knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Defend our Country, Support our Military/Veterans, and Ensure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He also praised Gallrein’s business skills, noting that he understands how to cut taxes and regulations, while supporting domestic American agriculture and energy production:
“Captain Ed Gallrein has my Complete and Total Endorsement against Massie, who is now polling at about 9% because the Great People of Kentucky are wise to him — He only votes against the Republican Party, making life very easy for the Radical Left. Unlike ‘lightweight’ Massie, a totally ineffective LOSER who has failed us so badly, CAPTAIN ED GALLREIN IS A WINNER WHO WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!”
The president initially endorsed Gallrein in early October, after encouraging him to run against “lightweight” Massie.
The current congressman has drawn the president’s ire for sometimes opposing his agenda, including the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that was signed into law in July. Massie’s occasional lone-wolf dissension has led the president to label him a “grandstander.”
Massie, in turn, has labeled Trump-endorsed Gallrein a “hack” who “is willing to be a rubber stamp for globalist billionaires, endless debt, foreign aid, and forever wars.”
Despite Massie’s bravado, polling over the summer suggested that he is not as popular with Republican primary voters as he may think. According to Kaplan Strategies, in June, among likely GOP primary voters in the Fourth District of Kentucky, only 19 percent said they planned on voting for Massie.
In all fairness, this data was collected before Gallrein entered the race, but it seems to indicate waning popularity for Massie, especially considering that, among the same polled group, the president had an 89 percent favorability rating. And with several months to go until the GOP primary in Kentucky, there is plenty of time for Gallrein – who will likely be well-financed, due to the president’s endorsement – to catch up with Massie.
