Republicans are targeting the president’s GOP nemesis, Rep. Thomas Massie, with an unhinged ad aimed at pushing members of the party to back a Trump-endorsed candidate in the Kentucky congressional primary.
Ahead of the race for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund published a 30-second ad on Thursday slamming Massie for opposing military action ordered by President Donald Trump over the weekend.
The ad promoted Massie’s primary challenger, Ed Gallrein, portraying him as an “American hero” for supporting the president’s decision to launch coordinated strikes with Israel on Iran. The conflict has already claimed the lives of six American service members.
“America is at war with a fanatical regime that seeks nuclear weapons. American hero Ed Gallrein stands with President Trump, our country, and our military,” a narrator said in the ad.
“Thomas Massie, he stands with Iran and radical leftists in Congress,” the narrator said, adding that Massie opposed Trump “just like he did on the border and taxes.”
“Now, Kentuckians have a choice. Gallerin and Trump, or Thomas Massie,” the ad concluded.
Trump, 79, has feuded with Massie for years. The lawmaker has repeatedly publicly split with the president, dating back to Trump’s first term.
Trump’s frustration escalated last year after Massie, 55, opposed his budget bill and slammed his foreign policy approach in the Middle East. Massie has also pushed for the full release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Massie, asked by Politico for a response to the ad, said he was being targeted.
“In 2024, I joined millions of Americans in supporting Donald Trump and JD Vance because they wanted to finally end the ‘forever wars,’'’ he said. “Now in my 2026 primary, I am being attacked with millions of dollars in negative ads because I still believe and am willing to fight for what we voted for two years ago.“
Massie publicly criticized the military action in Iran in a post on X on February 28, writing: “I am opposed to this War. This is not ‘America First.’”
“When Congress reconvenes, I will work with @RepRoKhanna to force a Congressional vote on war with Iran. The Constitution requires a vote, and your Representative needs to be on record as opposing or supporting this war,” he wrote.
Gallrein thanked “the courage of our President and his national security team for their bold and decisive action to confront evil and make the world safer.”
Meanwhile, a growing number of MAGA voices are turning on the president over the Trump administration’s attack on Iran, as Republicans prepare for a bruising in the upcoming midterm elections.
