Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., prior to a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. ( Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"But when it comes to the beef, he is not America first. When it comes to sending money overseas to Ukraine and Israel," Massie said, "I think he needs to get back to his campaign promises and put America first. Because we're not gonna make America great again by sending our money overseas."
Massie noted that his "biggest disagreement" with both the Trump administration and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is the increase in spending.
"I mean, I thought we were conservatives. Why are we spending more this year than Joe Biden spent in his last year? Actually, we're spending about $200 billion dollars more," he said, adding that the consequence "is inflation and higher interest rates."
"And people are feeling that. You can't gaslight them," Massie added. "You can't tell them that things are getting cheaper when they're not getting cheaper."
In a statement to Fox News Digital, White House spokesman Kush Desai accused Massie of "Fake Math."
TRUMP SAYS MASSIE IS ‘GONNA BE HISTORY’ AS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ JUMPS FINAL HURDLES TO PASSAGE
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., during a news conference outside the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Massie, who owns cattle himself, said the president has "sort of gut punched the cattle ranchers and… livestock farmers" in the U.S.
During remarks aboard Air Force One last month, Trump indicated the U.S. was considering buying beef from Argentina to drive down prices.
Days later Reuters reported that a White House official indicated that the administration was quadrupling the nation's low-tariff imports of beef from the South American nation. Increasing the tariff rate quota to 80,000 metric tons will allow Argentina to send greater quantities of the product to America at a lower rate of duty, according to the outlet.
The president has Massie in his political crosshairs — he has repeatedly reviled the congressman on Truth Social.
In a post on Monday, Trump referred to Massie as "a Weak and Pathetic RINO" — a pejorative acronymn that stands for "Republican in name only." He also called the congressman "a totally ineffective LOSER," while expressing his support for primary challenger Ed Gallrein, who Trump is backing in the race.
SCOOP: TRUMP-BACKED FORMER NAVY SEAL LAUNCHES GOP PRIMARY CHALLENGE AGAINST MASSIE
President Donald Trump waits for the arrival of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House on Oct. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Even as the president tries to convince voters in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District to reject Massie, the lawmaker said that he does not regret endorsing Trump ahead of the 2024 election, noting that former Vice President Kamala Harris would have been a total "disaster."
Massie initially backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the GOP presidential primary, but DeSantis dropped out and backed Trump, and Massie later endorsed the Republican juggernaut as well.
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"And I'm glad that President Trump won," he said.
Trump has "done a lot of good things," he said, adding that many of them have been carried out via executive order, and he thinks Congress should vote on more of the issues so that the president's moves are not simply "temporary actions."
Asked whether he'd have any interest in potentially running for president himself, Massie said that he is not interested.
Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/patriot-pathetic-rino-maverick-republican-thomas-massie-trades-america-first-label-america-only