Incumbent Republican lawmaker Thomas Massie is going up against Donald Trump-endorsed Ed Gallrein in Kentucky’s 4th congressional primary. Polling began at 6am on Tuesday and closes at 6pm. The Congressional race, which is reportedly the most expensive in US history, will likely be watched closely in the White House.
Not only will it be a test for Trump’s influence there, after he won by more than 30 points in 2024, but it’ll also show whether Massie wins after going against the president. Massie, reportedly a libertarian-leaning Republican, has pushed back against some of Trump’s policies, and massively advocated for the release of the Epstein files.
Also Read | Lauren Boebert responds to Trump’s Truth Social post as POTUS withdraws endorsement over Massie campaign; ‘knew risks’
The Democrat candidates in the race are Jesse Brewer and Melissa Strange. While Massie reportedly expects the race to be close, he and President Trump have resorted to trading barbs on X, and conservative podcaster Candace Owens has extended her support to Massie in a surprising way.
Thomas Massie v Donald Trump erupts on X
President Trump does not often post on X now, preferring to put out posts on his own social media platform – Truth Social. However, the Kentucky primaries prompted the Republican president to put out a disparaging post about Massie.
“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,” he wrote.
Trump added “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.”
To this, Massie replied with a photo of an endorsement from Trump.
“Is this the one?,” the incumbent Congressman wrote.
Candace Owens lends support to Massie
Owens, who’s a vocal podcaster on several matters, lent her support to Massie on X. Replying to President Trump’s X post, she wrote “Look who climbed out of his Israeli echo chamber….”.
Notably, Owens was earlier not as against Trump as her recent posts indicate. However, the right-wing spectrum has recently gotten fractured as many resented the US joining Israel in attacking Iran, believing it was not their war to fight. Further, the initial seeming pushback from the Trump administration over the release of the Epstein files did not sit well with many as well.
Amid this, a new phrase ‘America First, America Only’ was coined as an alternative of sorts to the ‘Make America Great Again’ or MAGA, the phrase coined during the Trump campaign.
These issues have seen Trump fall out with loyal supporter and veteran Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene. The president had also criticized several podcasters and political influencers over their stance on the Iran war, including Owens and Tucker Carlson.
