WASHINGTON — Donald Trump has pulled out all the stops to get rid of Thomas Massie. The president and his team have waged war on the Kentucky congressman for his disloyalty to Trump on a plethora of issues — the war in Iran, the Epstein files, the One Big Beautiful Bill, and more. From Truth Social posts to actively campaigning for Massie’s opponent on the ground, Trump has sent the same scathing message, over and over again: Massie is a “total disaster as a congressman, and frankly, a human being,” and the people of Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District need to vote him out. Today, Kentuckians will decide between Massie and his opponent, Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL and farmer. A Massie win would be a crushing defeat for Team Trump and their allies. A Massie loss would be a triumphant victory for the president — and a signal to the rest of the Republican party that they must fall in line, or else. “Republicans are in lockstep with President Trump — the ultimate turnout driver — and making major investments to win,” RNC spokeswoman Emma Hall told The Daily Wire. “Democrats are out of money, running toxic far-left candidates, and stuck defending a historically unpopular agenda.” Massie hasn’t had a serious opponent since he first won his seat in 2012. Yet in the days leading up to the election, some polls find Massie’s challenger ahead. Gallrein is a fifth-generation farmer, a 68-year-old veteran with four Bronze Stars from his time serving in the United States military. His campaign rhetoric is laced with military jargon, and he often references his work on the farm at home. And he has Trump on his side. “Feel good,” a person close to Gallrein shared with the Daily Wire on Tuesday morning. “It’s a close race, but we believe Ed Gallrein is on the right side of it.” Massie is banking on voters sticking with his anti-establishment platform, arguing that he is determined to stand by his principles and refuses to merely blow with Trumpian winds. “I’m not a go-along-to-get-along congressman,” he told The New York Times. “And that has endeared me to a lot of the constituents who are part of this coalition that put us in the White House.” On the other hand, Team Trump is aggressively emphasizing that Trump has repeatedly won Kentucky — “won big SIX TIMES,” as the president puts it — and Massie is no longer aligned with Trump. They’re banking on the massive power of The Trump Endorsement, and on Kentuckians siding with the president. And with a massive win in Indiana following the savaging of Republican senators who resisted Trump’s redistricting efforts, Team Trump is also feeling good. “I don’t see how anybody can reasonably claim to be a member of a political party in good standing when you make it your business to try to derail the main agenda items of that party, which is exactly what Thomas Massie has done,” said Tim Murtaugh, former communications director to Donald Trump and a senior campaign adviser to Gallrein. He’s also “stuck his finger in the eye” of Donald Trump and his White House, Murtaugh noted, and it is Donald Trump who “represents this party.” “He’s a president who carried this district over Kamala Harris by 36 points in 2024, and Thomas Massie decides that he’s bigger than that margin? I don’t think so. This is very much Donald Trump’s Republican party, not Thomas Massie’s.” Trump himself went to Kentucky to campaign against Massie in March, calling the Kentucky congressman a “disaster for our party,” and warning the crowd: “Get rid of this loser. This guy is bad.” Trump then brought Massie’s challenger, Ed Gallrein, on stage and praised him for his loyalty to both the country and to Trump himself. “As you folks know, you deserve an authentic, true Republican conservative that stands shoulder to shoulder with our president and the Republican party and against the Democrats who are trying to destroy our nation,” Gallrein told the crowd, adding: “Mr. President, I will stand with you and the party to put America first and Kentucky always.” In recent days, the president has also promoted claims from podcaster Laura Loomer describing an alleged ex-girlfriend of Massie’s named Cynthia West, whom Loomer says was pressured by Massie to “perform sexual acts” she was uncomfortable with. Trump has also criticized Massie for remarrying so quickly after his wife of 31 years passed away (the 55-year-old congressman remarried 16 months later to 36-year-old Carolyn Grace Moffa). As Trump launches onslaught after onslaught on Massie from Truth Social, he’s also deployed top White House operatives James Blair and Chris LaCivita to oust Massie. Speaking to the Financial Times, Blair said he knows Massie will lose “because I know the numbers.” Voters, he promised, “disagree with [Massie’s] choice to consistently side with the Democrats in voting against every Republican priority.” Gotta another one coming Tuesday …. pic.twitter.com/7rYnJj3xnj — Chris LaCivita (@ChrisLaCivita) May 17, 2026 LaCivita, known for his sharp tongue and unabashed attacks on political opponents, is leading the MAGA KY political action committee backing Gallrein, alongside Trump adviser and pollster Tony Fabrizio. LaCivita is also ruthless on social media in his criticisms of Massie — on Monday, for example, he posted about scandalous rumors regarding Massie and his genitalia, setting off the congressional security alarms. On Sunday, he posted a satirical video of Trump hitting Bill Cassidy in the head with a golf ball immediately after the ousted senator says, “I voted to convict Trump.” “Gotta another one coming Tuesday,” promised LaCivita. A Republican will retain the seat no matter what, one Republican strategist close to the race shared. “I can’t really say for certain what’s going to happen, but Kentucky is a ruby red seat. We’re obviously feeling very confident about retaining that.” “In Indiana, five Indiana state senators lost to the president’s endorsed candidate,” that strategist pointed out, noting that no one should be underestimating the “strengths of the president’s endorsement,” or “how popular the president is in these races.” “All of these candidates that we’re seeing are running on his record, they are running on his agenda, and the things that he’s been able to deliver.” Trump’s endorsement is certainly clear, but White House support for Gallrein goes far beyond that. Astonishing amounts of cash are flowing into the race. The Gallrein campaign and other outside groups have spent over $14 million on his bid to defeat Massie. About $9 million of that is from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and other pro-Israel groups, according to POLITICO. Even more pro-Israel groups have dumped cash into the Trump-aligned PAC, MAGA KY, POLITICO reports, which has gained $1 million from Paul Singer, $250,000 from hedge fund manager John Paulson, and $750,000 from Preserve America PAC, a PAC tied to Miriam Adelson. Just one day ahead of the highly anticipated election, the campaign played another key card: the Secretary of War himself. Pete Hegseth made his way down to Kentucky to rally with Gallrein (in his personal capacity, the War Department said in a statement), drawing on their similarities as veterans and hitting at Massie for failing to back Trump. “At some point, constant obstruction is not leadership, it’s just commentary,” Hegseth told the cheering crowd. “It’s obstruction. Too often, Massie acts like his job is to stand apart from the movement that Trump leads instead of strengthening it.” And in an election-eve message, posted to social media by top Trump ally Alex Bruesewitz, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller sent a final admonishment. Attention @RepThomasMassie and Kentucky-4, the GREAT @StephenM has a message for you. Massie needs to go! pic.twitter.com/7v3V0Yoite — Alex Bruesewitz