Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) conceded in the GOP primary for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to Trump-endorsed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein. Massie wasted little time taking shots at Gallrein in his speech. “I would have come out sooner but I had to call my opponent and concede,” Massie said. “It took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv,” he added. Watch below: Massie: I would have come out sooner but I had to call my opponent to concede and it took a while to find him in Tel Aviv pic.twitter.com/DmTkDfS17a — Acyn (@Acyn) May 20, 2026 Massie also teased a potential 2028 presidential run. A crowd of Massie supporters chanted, “2028!” “What happens in 2028? You want me to run for Congress again?” Massie asked the crowd. The crowd chanted, “President!” “You made a compelling argument. You spoke your peace. But I need a medical margarita right now. And we’ll talk about it later,” he said. Watch below: NOW: Thomas Massie's election party attendees demand he runs for president CROWD: "2028! 2028!" MASSIE: "What happens in 2028? You want me to run for Congress again?" CROWD: "No! President!" MASSIE: "We'll talk about it later." pic.twitter.com/EDXXMp4dbH — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 20, 2026 WHAS 11 has more: The primary was one of the most expensive in American history and was a test of Trump’s influence not only in Kentucky, but the Republican Party. “For 14 years those SOB’s in Washington tried to buy my vote. They couldn’t buy it. Why did the race get so expensive? Because they decided to buy deceit. And it got real expensive for them,” Massie explained. He accused his opposition of using “dirty tricks” but said his campaign stayed the course, running a clean campaign. “We weren’t really running against Ed Gallrein, we weren’t running against Donald Trump. We were running for what we believe in.” Massie has been at odds with Trump with his outspoken nature. He pressed for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, voted against the “Big, Beautiful Bill” and voted against the war in Iran. President Trump reacted to Massie’s defeat saying, “He was a bad guy. He deserves to lose.” In the end, Massie told his supporters the country needs to come together and have a unified party. Massie’s congressional term will end in January 2027. It’s unclear if he will seek another political office. “What happened tonight was God’s will,” Massie said. “And we have to figure out what was the purpose of having the biggest fight ever,” Massie continued. “What was God’s purpose? What is He showing us tonight?” he questioned. Watch below: Thomas Massie says his loss was part of “God’s will” and that everything happens for a reason and a greater purpose. Massie says the battle was lost, but the war against the Epstein class will continue. “What was God’s purpose? What is He showing us tonight?” “It couldn’t… pic.twitter.com/Io5NaC2t8A — Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) May 20, 2026 The Hill shared further: Federal Election Commission (FEC) data — which includes advertising along with other campaign expenses — showed the candidates and outside groups working to influence the race spent roughly $35 million combined. Massie’s campaign outspent Gallrein’s, $5.8 million to $2.6 million, according to FEC data. But super PACs heavily favored the GOP challenger, spending more than $16.4 million to boost Gallrein compared to roughly $10.1 million backing the incumbent. The contentious faceoff featured vicious and personal television ads, including some that used AI-generated “deepfakes” to undermine candidates’ conservative credentials or loyalty to Trump. One pro-Gallrein super PAC released an ad falsely accusing Massie of being “in a throuple” with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), while a pro-Massie group aired an AI-generated ad depicting Gallrein abandoning Trump on a battlefield. Massie, a libertarian Republican, has long had an independent streak but found himself increasingly at odds with Trump this past year on issues of outsized significance to the president. He helped lead the push for the administration to release files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, frequently criticized the party’s foreign policy approach and voted against Trump’s signature tax and spending legislation, citing concerns about increased deficit spending.

Democrats love a good oversight performance, right up until someone turns the question back on them. President Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was testifying before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee when Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand tried to turn the hearing into an ethics attack. Her target was a DOT travel initiative called The Great American Road Trip, tied to America 250 and the nation’s 250th birthday celebration. Sean Duffy resorts to whataboutism to defend spending parts of 7 months on a roadtrip: DUFFY: The great American roadtrip was a partnership with a nonprofit– GILLIBRAND: Funded by organizations and companies that you oversee DUFFY: Do you have jurisdiction over law firms?… pic.twitter.com/zTALPIJsIT — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 19, 2026 Gillibrand accused Duffy of using his office politically, alleging the project was funded by companies including Boeing, Toyota, United Airlines, Enterprise, Shell, and Royal Caribbean Group. Duffy pushed back that the project was part of an official America 250 partnership through a nonprofit, and that Congress itself had sanctioned America 250. Then he turned the whole exchange around. As Mediaite reported, Duffy asked Gillibrand whether she has jurisdiction over law firms, then brought up her trial-bar money. Mediaite reported that Gillibrand pressed Duffy over The Great American Road Trip during testimony on the Department of Transportation’s proposed $26.6 billion FY2027 budget. She argued that the project should not have been funded by companies that Duffy oversees, naming Boeing, Toyota, United Airlines, Enterprise, Shell, and Royal Caribbean Group. Duffy answered that the project was officially tied to America 250, that Congress had sanctioned the America 250 effort, and that promoting tourism and travel is part of what the Transportation Department is supposed to do. When Gillibrand said the project was funded by organizations and companies under his oversight, Duffy asked whether she has jurisdiction over law firms. He then said she had received $7 million in political contributions from the trial bar. Gillibrand objected that the hearing was about Duffy and the Trump administration, but Duffy kept pressing the point and said he made no money from the project. That is when Gillibrand tried to shut the counterattack down by reminding Duffy he was the witness. As Mediaite detailed, Duffy did not blink. Mediaite’s transcript captured the exchange as Gillibrand told Duffy, “You’re the witness! I am not the witness.” Duffy came right back with the line that drove the clip: “Well, maybe you should be.” The back-and-forth continued until the time expired, with Gillibrand accusing him of being political and Duffy pointing back to the donations question she clearly did not want to answer in that moment. The exchange was tense because Duffy refused to accept the premise that only the administration side of the table could be questioned about money and influence. Gillibrand accused Duffy of going on a paid vacation, a characterization he denied while explaining that he had filmed the project quickly and that the purpose was to encourage Americans to travel and see the country. The clash turned a routine budget hearing into a broader fight over who gets to lecture whom about conflicts of interest while sitting on their own donor records. That one line did more damage than Gillibrand’s entire setup. The Democrat senator walked into the hearing trying to paint Duffy as compromised by a travel-promotion project. She walked out with Duffy asking why her own donor sheet should be off-limits. That is the part Democrats never like. They want to interrogate everyone else about influence, donors, optics, and ethics. But when the same logic is turned back on them, suddenly the hearing is only about the witness. Duffy’s point was not subtle. If Gillibrand wants to suggest that a cabinet secretary’s work is tainted because companies have interests before his department, then she should be ready for questions about trial lawyers and political money too. The Gateway Pundit featured the clash as an explosive Senate hearing showdown, and the clip explains why. The Gateway Pundit highlighted the exchange as Duffy destroying Gillibrand after she attacked the road-trip project and its corporate funding. The conservative framing centered on Duffy’s counterpunch over the $7 million trial-bar line and his reminder that lawmakers are not above scrutiny when they use hearings to accuse others of political conflicts. That is why the clip hit so hard with conservative audiences. Duffy was not merely answering a question; he was showing the double standard in real time, on camera, with the senator sitting right in front of him. For President Trump’s team, the moment showed a cabinet official refusing to sit quietly while a Democrat senator turned a budget hearing into a partisan scolding. Duffy answered the policy point, defended the America 250 partnership, and then forced Gillibrand to live under the same donor-conflict standard she was trying to impose on him. Gillibrand did not land a glove on Duffy’s budget or his policies. All she did was remind everyone that members of Congress who take huge sums from powerful industries should be careful before lecturing anybody else about conflicts of interest.

The Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Georgia is heading to a June 16 runoff. Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) has advanced to the runoff. However, it’s unclear who Collins will face. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) and former college football coach Derek Dooley are vying for the second spot in the runoff. DDHQ Race Update (est. 71% in): Georgia US Senate Republican Primary Mike Collins (R): 272,800 (41.3%)Derek Dooley (R): 189,014 (28.6%)Buddy Carter (R): 171,916 (26.0%) Follow more results here:https://t.co/bLRquoa3zQ pic.twitter.com/4bI4kEEBjh — Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) May 20, 2026 CBS News has more: A handful of Republicans have been seeking the nomination as the GOP eyes a chance at flipping a Senate seat in Georgia. With Ossoff being the sole Democrat seeking reelection in a state President Trump won in 2024, the race has been seen as a key pickup opportunity for Republicans. But a messy primary, and the inability to coalesce behind a candidate has complicated their path forward. Ossoff, who was unopposed in Tuesday’s primary, has been in the Senate since 2021 when he delivered Democrats one of two runoff victories in Georgia, which secured their majority in the upper chamber. A formidable fundraiser, the 39-year-old has amassed a significant warchest to fight back against an inevitable GOP onslaught and improve his outlook despite the state’s rightward shift during the last election. Two members of Congress, Collins, 58, and Carter, 68, had been gunning for the GOP nomination. Collins, the owner of a trucking business, has represented Georgia in the House since 2023, while Carter has been in Congress since 2015, after serving as mayor of Pooler, Georgia and in the Georgia General Assembly. Both men have strongly tied their campaigns to the president, although Mr. Trump hasn’t endorsed a candidate in the primary. Dooley, 57, was also seeking the nomination. An attorney who coached football at the University of Tennessee, Dooley is the son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley and was endorsed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who passed up on a Senate bid himself. Dooley hasn’t embraced the president as readily as the other two men, and has positioned himself as a political outsider. Some outlets are projecting Dooley will face Collins in the runoff. According to The Hill, a runoff between Collins and Dooley could set up a “proxy battle between the factions of the party aligned with President Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp.” DDHQ: Republicans Mike Collins and Derek Dooley advance to a runoff in the Republican primary for US Senate in Georgia. https://t.co/NuWDQcgyo1 pic.twitter.com/TiOOz66v5g — Politics & Poll Tracker (@PollTracker2024) May 20, 2026 The Hill explained further: The candidates’ lone Senate debate was dominated by squabbling between Collins and Carter, who attacked each other over various ethics issues. Carter has taken shots at Collins over a probe into whether his office violated House rules by hiring an intern who had a relationship with a top Collins aide and who allegedly didn’t do any work for the congressman. Meanwhile, Collins has dubbed Carter a “career politician” and suggested he’s a hypocrite and that his career “been littered with complaints, crooked land deals.” Carter has received scrutiny for land he purchased near the site of a potential federal project that later fell through. Georgia is seen as a prime pickup opportunity for Republicans, but the party could face increasing pressure to coalesce around one of the candidates. A pre-primary campaign report filed with the Federal Election Commission shows Ossoff has a whopping $32.5 million in the bank, and GOP members acknowledge the first-term candidate is a formidable challenger.

Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and businessman Rick Jackson have advanced to a runoff in the Republican primary for Governor of Georgia. Jones and Jackson were the top-two vote getters in the primary, eliminating Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and state Attorney General Chris Carr. The runoff will take place on June 16. Healthcare billionaire Rick Jackson and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones have advanced to the June 16 Republican runoff for Georgia governor. https://t.co/AkGeeR0pF4 pic.twitter.com/iQlfYJ3lkc — The Associated Press (@AP) May 20, 2026 The Hill has more: A candidate needed to win at least half of the vote outright to avoid a runoff. Recent polling showed Jackson in first place, with Jones in second, and neither contender surpassed 50 percent support on Tuesday. Jones secured President Trump’s endorsement while Jackson spent at least $50 million of his own money to launch himself from a political unknown to a serious gubernatorial candidate in the Peach State. On the trail, Jackson leaned into his personal background — noting that he was raised by a single mother who grappled with alcoholism and was sent to multiple foster homes, but later turned these misfortunes into a multi-billion-dollar health care business. He’s also suggested that given his wealth, he wouldn’t be beholden to special interest groups and cast Jones as a “career politician.” Meanwhile, Jones has leaned into Trump’s support and questioned Jackson’s conservative bonafides. “Barely more than 100 days ago, we sent an earthquake through the political establishment when we entered the race. I think it’s safe to say, we shook the career politicians and insiders to their core. But the job is not done. We have four weeks to finish it. And the choice could not be more clear, or more important,” Jackson said. Barely more than 100 days ago, we sent an earthquake through the political establishment when we entered the race. I think it’s safe to say, we shook the career politicians and insiders to their core. But the job is not done. We have four weeks to finish it. And the choice… — Rick Jackson (@RickJacksonGA) May 20, 2026 “Burt Jones is a political insider who’s been in office 14 years, working inside the system for his own benefit, while promising tax relief and failing to deliver. I’m the opposite. I don’t owe the lobbyists anything. I don’t need the establishment’s permission. I cannot be bought, and I will not back down,” he added. Burt Jones is a political insider who’s been in office 14 years, working inside the system for his own benefit, while promising tax relief and failing to deliver. I'm the opposite. I don’t owe the lobbyists anything. I don't need the establishment's permission.  I cannot be… — Rick Jackson (@RickJacksonGA) May 20, 2026 Early results showed an extremely competitive contest between Jones and Jackson. Georgia Gubernatorial Republican Primary 21% estimated in per @AP: Burt Jones – 93,821 (36.6%) Rick Jackson – 89,712 (35.0%) Brad Raffensperger – 38,568 (15.0%) — VoteHub (@VoteHub) May 20, 2026 NBC News shared further: With 29% of the expected vote in, Jones was at 36.7% and Jackson was at 34.5%. The field vying to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Brian Kemp also included Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and state Attorney General Chris Carr. Trump endorsed Jones just weeks after he launched his campaign, and many of his TV ads have highlighted that support. But Jackson has pumped $80 million of his own money into ads since he launched his campaign in February, according to AdImpact, blanketing Georgia’s airwaves with so many ads that Republicans running for other offices in the state have struggled to attract attention in their own races. Jackson has also used many of his ads to compare himself to Trump — painting himself as a wealthy outsider, businessman and change agent. “Like President Trump, I don’t owe anybody anything, and like you, I’m sick of career politicians,” Jackson says in one TV ad. In another, he casts himself as “the straight-talking, Trump-supporting self-made outsider” who “tells it like it is.” Notably, soon after Jackson launched his campaign, some of his ads aired in media markets in Washington, D.C., and West Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home is located. Still, in a tele-rally this month, Trump reiterated his support for Jones and squashed any speculation that Jackson’s flattery campaign could win him over.

Vice President JD Vance stepped to the podium on Tuesday and delivered a message Tehran would be wise to hear clearly. Speaking to reporters, Vance said the Iranians understand exactly where the line is drawn and that they want to make a deal. But he was careful not to declare victory before the ink is dry.   “The Iranians recognize that a nuclear weapon is the red line for the United States of America,” Vance said. “But we’re not going to know until we’re actually putting pen to paper on signing” a deal. That framing is deliberate. The President Trump administration is negotiating from a position of overwhelming strength, and Vance made no effort to sugarcoat the reality that diplomacy only works when the alternative is credible force. The comments came as President Trump weighed military options alongside diplomatic efforts. Axios reported on the White House meeting behind the latest Iran pressure campaign. President Trump held a meeting on Iran war plans after pausing an attack, according to the report. The room included Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, and other senior officials. That lineup shows this was not idle talk from a podium. The White House was weighing military options while continuing to test whether Tehran is serious about a deal. The key point is leverage. President Trump has not taken force off the table, and Vance’s briefing made clear that the administration still sees military pressure as the backup option if Iran refuses the nuclear red line. Axios framed the bottom line around Trump’s warning that the U.S. may have to deliver another major strike if Iran does not move. That is the backdrop for Vance’s message: diplomacy is open, but the threat is real. The timing also matters. Vance was not speaking in a vacuum; he was explaining the administration’s position after President Trump had already shown Iran that another strike was being seriously considered. This is classic Trump-era deterrence. You do not walk into negotiations without the other side knowing you are fully prepared to act. The pressure campaign extends well beyond the negotiating table. U.S. military assets remain positioned throughout the Gulf region, and tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have kept global energy markets on edge for weeks. The Guardian carried the key lines from Vance’s briefing on Iran and the administration’s two-path strategy. Vance said the U.S. has a simple proposition for Iran: the regime cannot have a nuclear weapon. He warned that Iran becoming the first domino in a wider nuclear arms race would make the world much less safe. He said the U.S. is willing to cut a deal if Iran meets the core issue of never having a nuclear weapon. He also said the administration believes a deal is possible and that Washington is negotiating in good faith. Then came the hard edge. Vance said Option B is restarting the military campaign to continue pursuing America’s objectives if Iran will not meet the red line. He said that is not what President Trump wants and not what he believes Iran wants either. But he also said the president told him the United States is locked and loaded, willing and able to go down that path if necessary. AP also tracked the White House briefing and Vance’s effort to draw a line between pressure and endless war. Vance described the conflict as something different from the open-ended wars that exhausted the country for years. He said the active period of conflict had lasted roughly five weeks, with a large part of the broader timeline unfolding under a ceasefire. That matters because the Trump administration is making two arguments at once. Iran cannot be allowed to cross the nuclear threshold. At the same time, America does not need to stumble into another endless Middle East commitment to enforce that red line. Vance’s answer was built around that balance. He defended the pressure campaign, kept the door open to negotiations, and insisted the objective is to take care of business and bring American forces home. That is the America First lane: no nuclear Iran, no weak paper deal, and no forever war. It also gives President Trump room to negotiate without surrendering the leverage that brought Iran back to the table in the first place. The contrast with the old Washington model is clear. This is not a blank check for intervention; it is a deadline-backed demand that Iran choose between a real nuclear concession and renewed American pressure. Vance also had a lighter moment during the press conference that caught attention online. When a reporter raised her hand, the Vice President said he didn’t know her name but complimented her cross necklace before taking her question. JD VANCE: I don’t know your name. You have a beautiful cross necklace though, so go ahead Q: Cara Castronuova, Lindell TV pic.twitter.com/yHX05h5cSV — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 19, 2026 The reporter identified herself as Cara Castronuova from Lindell TV. It was a small moment, but the kind of genuine, unscripted exchange that rarely makes it out of a press briefing without being twisted by hostile media. The bigger picture remains serious. Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been the defining security challenge in the Middle East for more than two decades. Multiple administrations have tried diplomacy, sanctions, and strategic ambiguity. The Trump administration is trying something different: making the threat unmistakable while leaving the door open for a real agreement. Vance’s words were carefully chosen. He did not promise a deal or predict one. He simply made the consequences of failure crystal clear. That is how you negotiate with a regime that has spent years stalling, enriching uranium, and testing the patience of the civilized world. You make the red line real, and you make sure everyone knows it. This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.