Señor TACO Is Going To War— Against Conservative Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie

Trump Wants Other Wayward Republicans To Think Long & Hard About Opposing Him

Thomas Massie: The last straw for Trump

In March, we noted that Señor TACO was vowing to defeat Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie again, who had earned Señor’s ire by endorsing DeSantis and by voting against some key Trump legislative priorities. In 2020, Trump encouraged AIPAC to spend money against Massie in the primary and whined to Kentucky voters about how disloyal Massie is. He still won against a random MAGAt, Todd McMurtry, with 81% of the vote, despite McMurtry spending over $360,000 and a Trump-inspired super PAC spending another $133,000 smearing Massie. Remember, that was with Trumpanzee calling him a “third rate Grandstander” and urging the Republican Party to “throw Massie out.” 

Massie’s consistent libertarian-leaning votes, including opposition to Trump-backed spending bills and foreign interventions, have fueled their ongoing hate-fest. In 2022, however, Trump endorsed Massie ahead of the Kentucky primary, calling him a “Conservative Warrior.” Soon after, Massie was voting against Trump’s agenda and Trump was denouncing him and threatening him again.

Yesterday, Alex Isenstadt reported that Trump’s getting serious about removing him this time. Trump wants to make an example out of him so that other Republicans thinking about voting against the Big Ugly Bill back off. The spark that set Trump off though was Massie’s loud opposition to Trump’s unconstitutional sneak attack on Iran. “Trump's team ,” wrote Isenstadt, “has launched Kentucky MAGA, a super PAC devoted to defeating Massie in the May 2026 primary. The organization will be run by Trump's senior political advisers, Tony Fabrizio and Chris LaCivita. LaCivita said the PAC would spend "whatever it takes" to defeat Massie. Trump's operation has been talking with potential Republican challengers to Massie. Aides say the goal is to rally around one Massie opponent, so that multiple rivals don't splinter support.”

The Trump team earlier this month quietly commissioned a survey gauging Massie's support in his conservative central Kentucky district and found that the congressman would be vulnerable to a Trump-backed primary challenge.

The survey, which was conducted by Trump pollster John McLaughlin, found that 52 percent would support a Trump-endorsed candidate and 23 percent support Massie.

Eighty-seven percent approved of Trump, compared to 52 percent for Massie, according to the poll, a copy of which was obtained by Axios.

Seventy-four percent said they supported the "big beautiful bill.

Yes, but: Massie, who was first elected in 2012, easily survived primary challenges in the last three cycles.

His advisers argue that his libertarian-minded, independent streak endears him to voters.

"Massie's long-time opposition to President Trump's working family tax cuts— and really anything to do with President Trump— is coming to an end," LaCivita said in a statement. "Thomas 'Little Boy' Massie will be fired."

Massie told Axios: "Any serious person considering running should spend money on an independent poll before letting swampy consultants take them for an embarrassing ride.”

Yeah, that John McLaughlin poll is a bad joke, just the kind of  propaganda tool Republicans usually try to use against Democrats. Speaking of which… this isn’t a district where a Republican civil war is going to help Democrats, not even in a blue wave year. The PVI is R+18, so… totally impossible for a Democrat. Trump won against Biden with 65.4% and against Kamala with 66.9%. A Democrat didn’t even challenge Massie in 2024 and two years earlier, Democrat Matt Lehman only managed to win 31.0% of the vote in the 21 counties that stretch from the Louisville suburbs to the Cincinnati suburbs— with lots of rural in between, where anything with an “R” next to its name wins over 70% of the vote and over 80% in some cases.