Rep. Thomas Massie has no regrets about breaking with President Trump on key issues and losing Kentucky’s Republican primary to the president’s hand-picked challenger.
“It was absolutely worth it for me,” Mr. Massie said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
The congressman said he will “keep going against the grain” during his final seven months in the House and vote for principles and people over party. He says it is a mistake for more Republicans not to do so.
“There’s a growing number of people on the right who have a form of TDS called Trump Disappointment Syndrome,” Mr. Massie said. “And I think what’s going to happen to the party this fall is they’ve disenfranchised a large portion of that constituency that Trump assembled to get us in the White House, in the Senate majority and in the House majority.”
“They’ve alienated MAHA by kowtowing to the pesticide manufacturers and the pharmaceutical manufacturers,” he added. “They’ve alienated the fiscal hawks by running DOGE out of town. They’ve alienated the people who don’t want to fight another war for other countries. And so I’m worried that in November this is going to cost the party a lot.”
Mr. Massie has consistently voted against foreign wars, including the current U.S. conflict with Iran.
He also has voted against legislation that adds to the deficit, such as Mr. Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
The congressman also led the legislation that forced the Department of Justice to release its files on late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Those actions frustrated Mr. Trump, who recruited and backed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein to run against Mr. Massie.
Mr. Gallrein beat Mr. Massie by 10 percentage points to become the Republican nominee and likely the next representative for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District.
Mr. Massie said the fact that he got 45% of the vote despite intense headwinds, including record spending against him from pro-Israel and pro-Trump groups, is evidence that the ideals he has espoused are still broadly popular among Republicans.
Asked about the supporters at his election night party encouraging him to run for president in 2028, Mr. Massie said he is not ready to consider his political future.
“I will not rule out anything, and right now I’m not going to rule in anything,” he said.
Mr. Massie said he has enjoyed his time post-primary decompressing on his farm with his grandkids, cattle and peach trees.
“It’s a pretty nice life. I don’t know if I want to screw that up again,” he said.
The congressman said he will take some time to think about what he wants to do next but anticipates he will stay engaged in politics “in some way or shape.”
“Maybe it’s from the outside,” Mr. Massie said. “I’ve been exposing what’s going on in Washington, D.C., for years, and I’ll keep doing it.”
