Written by McKenna HorsleyLantern in Kentucky
As entrepreneur Elon Musk entered the conflict between President Donald Trump and rebellious Republican U.S. Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, the story became more complex.
Musk said on Monday night that he would assist Massie in thwarting any Republican primary opponent that Trump, who has vowed to oust Massie the next year, would recruit.
Although Massie and Trump have been at odds since Trump’s first term, Massie most recently infuriated Trump by opposing his bombing of Iran and by voting against the mega-bill that supporters claim fulfills the president’s campaign promises.
Additionally, Massie is not the only Republican from Kentucky who has voted against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, defying both Trump and party leaders.
Sen. Rand Paul voted against the bill on Tuesday and against the commencement of debate on Saturday, while playing golf with the president. The bill needed a tiebreaking vote from Vice President JD Vance to pass the Republican-controlled Senate.
Paul and Massie run political risks by siding with Trump and his MAGAbase in a state that Trump has won handily three times and a Republican Party that has fallen in lockstep with him.
However, political analysts in Kentucky say the two might get away with it because they are seen as acting on principle and because they agree with Trump on issues of fiscal prudence and government spending.
Paul, Massie, and Musk have been driven by a right-leaning libertarianism that frequently manifests in their politics, according to Stephen Voss, a professor of political science at the University of Kentucky.
They differ from other Republicans in terms of their values, and Republican President Donald Trump’s intense embrace of a large government, powerful president, and leadership style goes against the beliefs of all three of those individuals.
In 2012, Massie, an engineer with an MIT degree who was the judge-executive for Lewis County, was elected to Congress. His 4th Congressional District extends westward along the Ohio River from Ashland in the Appalachian hills to Louisville and the conservative Northern Kentucky suburbs.
Before the midterm elections, Trump’s campaign team has $500 million available to support or undermine Republicans. According to Axios, MAGA Kentucky, a Trump-affiliated political action group, started a $1 million ad campaign against Massie last week. Trump turned to Truth Social ahead of the ad buy to claim that Massie is not MAGA, despite his frequent claims to the contrary, and he promised to run for office in Kentucky against the congressman in favor of a fantastic American Patriot.
Although Trump’s candidacy has not yet been announced, certain political circles have suggested that Shelby County Republican state senator Aaron Reed, who is in his first term, could be a viable option.
Musk tells Massie: You’re fantastic.
Musk, who has publicly been at odds with the president over the GOP domestic policy package, entered the debate on Monday and declared on his social media platform X that he would back Massie. Musk had just declared that, if it were his last act on earth, Republicans who ran on a platform of cutting government spending and then swiftly supported the largest debt increase in history would lose their primary the following year.
By posting a Fox News story on the post Tuesday morning, the congressman showed his support for Musk. Musk responded, “You’re awesome.”
Despite the fact that both men have a propensity to go from dispute to controversy, Voss predicted that it would turn into a proxy fight between Trump and Musk in Northern Kentucky.
Massie might have an easier time preserving his job if the major blows are finished by next year, according to Voss, but he might have goals beyond that.
Few members of the House of Representatives are able to achieve the level of fame that Thomas Massie has, according to Voss. Although his present seat may be more vulnerable as a result of his growing celebrity and recognition, it also creates many opportunities.
Being on the side of the GOP that opposed Trump can begin to pay dividends for Republicans who want to establish themselves as the party’s future, especially if Trump’s support among voters declines and the GOP suffers setbacks in the 2018 elections.
According to Voss, opposing Trump is currently the kiss of death, but that could change.
After voting against Trump’s measure, at least one Republican member of Congress, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, declared he would not run for reelection. Tillis opposed the plan because it slashed funds, which he claimed would affect his state and compel him to make difficult Medicaid decisions.
Massie and Paul, on the other hand, opposed the bill on the grounds that it will cause the federal deficit to skyrocket.
The Senate version of the measure would increase government budget deficits by $3.25 trillion over a ten-year period, according to a figure released Sunday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Political consultant and former Republican Party of Kentucky spokesperson Tres Watson predicted that Massie’s 2026 primary will be fierce, particularly given Musk’s involvement in the contest. Watson went on to say that the resources any candidate may contribute to the race might have a greater influence than Trump and Musk’s endorsements.
According to Watson, Massie has strong convictions and will vote for them regardless of whether doing so puts him in awkward situations with awkward bedfellows. He will oppose this law since he is a libertarian Republican who is fiscally conservative.
According to Watson, Paul is comparable to Massie but may occasionally play ball a bit more. While Massie has been a thorn in Trump’s side since the first administration, Paul and Trump most likely grew close during the 2016 campaign.
Unlike Massie, Paul has not had to deal with Trump’s fury.
Musk’s participation may potentially result in a high cost for the primary. According to media sources, organizations connected to Musk invested close to $20 million in support of a conservative candidate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election earlier this year. Additionally, Musk donated $2 million to the state Republican Party. Musk’s candidate lost in spite of everything.
Massie thanked Musk Tuesday fromhis campaign account on X,adding Musk s purchase of X, formerly Twitter, and making it the platform for free speech has already helped my cause immensely, allowing the congressman to bypass conventional media to refute the lies of both political parties and to provide transparency about how Congress works and what s actually inside of the bills we vote on.
According to Massie, the race is really a referendum on whether Congressmen can act and think independently based on what’s best for the nation or if they must all be treated as rubber stamps for their respective political parties and swampy special interests. Massie claimed that his opposition to the megabill and the Iran strikes recently earned him the wrath of the swamp and a fight for his reelection.
In order to continue serving as an independent voice for my constituents in Congress, I am incredibly grateful for Elon Musk’s financial support, Massie wrote.
Kentucky Lanternis part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. The editorial independence of Kentucky Lantern is maintained. For inquiries, email Editor Jamie Lucke at [email protected].
