Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, arrives for a news conference outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025 (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump argued that Massie was a "Third Rate Congressman," a "Weak and Pathetic RINO," and a "totally ineffective LOSER who has failed us so badly."
And the president applauded Gallrein, calling him a "Brave Combat Veteran" and a "very successful Businessman" who, if elected to Congress, would "fight tirelessly to Keep our now very Secure Border, SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment."
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Trump's social media post included a photo of himself and Gallrein holding red MAGA hats in the Oval Office.
Gallrein served three decades in uniform, rising to the rank of Captain. According to his campaign bio, he served multiple times on SEAL Team SIX, deploying to Panama, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and earned four Bronze Stars and two Presidential Unit Citations.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) during a news conference with alleged victims of disgraced financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein outside the U.S. Capitol on September 3, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Massie is also leading the push, along with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, in forcing a House floor vote to urge the release of the Justice Department's files on the late convicted sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, a move the White House and House GOP leaders have aimed to counter. Massie is on the verge of reaching the needed 218 signatures to force the vote.
Two top Trump political advisers — 2024 co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita and pollster Tony Fabrizio — in June launched a super PAC that aims to defeat Massie. Nearly $2 million has been spent already to run TV ads targeting Massie.
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But Massie has used the attacks from Trump and his allies to boost fundraising, hauling in more than $750,000 the past three months, which was the best fundraising quarter of his congressional career.
Massie's district, in the northeastern part of the state, includes Louisville's eastern suburbs and Cincinnati's Kentucky suburbs.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/scoop-trump-backed-former-navy-seal-launches-gop-primary-challenge-against-massie