After the weekend defeat of Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy in a GOP primary, the next target of Trump is Thomas Massie, a Kentucky U.S. House member. That primary is today and could end the House career of Massie after Trump endorsed his challenger, Ed Gallrein.
Describing the Trump vs Massie political feud, AFR host Jenna Ellis said it’s a complicated issue. After insisting the Kentucky representative has mostly voted with his political party, it is also true Massie has broken with Trump at times over principle, an independence that should be commended in Congress, she said.
“But if you're consistently thwarting Trump's agenda,” she added, “then don't be surprised when the party doesn't support you.”
For her audience, Ellis played a clip of Vice President J.D. Vance from last fall describing Massie as a longtime friend who is known for taking an “independent stand” on numerous issues. Over time, however, he has made numerous political enemies.
“It's not three or four issues. It's that every time that we've needed Thomas for a vote, he has been completely unwilling to provide it," said Vance, who speaking at a Q-and-A session at the University of Mississippi.
It’s not true that Massie never votes along with his political party, Ellis said, but it’s fair to suggest his vote is an unreliable one for Republicans in the House.
Asked for his views on the Trump vs Massie feud, Blaze host Auron MacIntyre said Massie deserves criticism for an “inconsistent” voting record. One example is Massie opposed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a key bill for Republicans.
On the other hand, MacIntyre shared, Trump deserves criticism for being inconsistent, too. At the same time Trump targeted Sen. Cassidy for voting to impeach him, the president plays nice with senators such as Marie Salazar, a Florida representative whose legislation is pushing amnesty for illegal aliens.
“If you're going to go after and purge different people from the GOP, can we at least get the ones that are pushing for open-borders amnesty?” MacIntyre argued.
In addition to Salazar, Ellis said “RINO” senators who deserve criticism include Lindsey Graham, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkoswki.
“It doesn't seem like the targets of the GOP for primarying are consistent based on principle,” Ellis said. “It feels like it's just a personal vendetta for Trump.”
Targeting your political enemies is “understandable” in politics, Ellis allowed, but she pointed out Trump has two years left in his current term.
“It’s unsettling because it's not building a GOP that will, long term, be beneficial to the base when Trump leaves office in two years,” she warned.
The current Republican Party is led by a “kingmaker” named Donald Trump, MacIntyre said. It is currently a personality-driven party that demands loyalty, and punishes anyone who strays from Trump. The issue with that, he said, is if the GOP will continue with this model of heavy-handed power.
“Then you have to ask: Where does that power go? Who does it get handed to?” he asked. "That becomes incredibly important because you're now putting the future of the party into whoever sits in that spot after Trump.”
