Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who lost his primary to a candidate endorsed by President Trump, is forecasting a political reckoning for the president and the GOP in the upcoming midterm elections. In a Thursday interview on CNN's The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Massie said, “I think his comeuppance will happen on Election Day, and the day after I think there’s going to be a reckoning.”
Massie, a frequent critic of the president, was ousted in the GOP primary by Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein. He has often broken with his party, voting with Democrats on Iran war powers and leading a bipartisan effort to release Justice Department files related to the Epstein investigation.
Collins pressed Massie on the growing number of Republicans in tight races who are distancing themselves from the administration's aggressive immigration enforcement tactics. Massie, who has long opposed such measures, said many of his colleagues are now running away from Trump after embracing him in their primaries. “They’re about to take a shellacking here in the general election, so they’re running from him on this and other issues, like the war,” he said.
One such Republican, Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, who faces a difficult reelection fight, said Thursday he had voiced concerns to the Department of Homeland Security about the immigration operations, urging they be carried out in a “responsible and secure manner.”
Massie also took aim at Trump's decision to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House for a state dinner, calling it a “mixed message.” He contrasted the treatment of Xi with the president's approach to his own party members. “He will invite a communist to the White House, but I can’t even go there for the Christmas party,” Massie said. “His retribution tour on Republicans, I think, stands in stark contrast to the way he’s treating the communist leader of China and also the mayor of New York.”
The Kentucky Republican's comments come as Trump has been focusing his midterm push on safe GOP territory, while swing races tighten. Massie's prediction of a “shellacking” aligns with some polling that suggests GOP hopes in swing states are fading.
Massie's criticism of the Xi visit also echoes unease among some Republicans about the summit, particularly as GOP senators urged Trump to confront Xi over Iran military aid. The lavish state dinner, which drew tech titans to the guest list, has been a point of contention.
Massie concluded with a broader critique of the president's political identity: “He’s not an ideologue. He doesn’t have a true north, or honestly any kind of beliefs.”
