Thomas Massie warned on Sunday that Republicans could be “very vulnerable” in the midterm elections, just days after he was defeated in a primary by former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, a candidate backed by President Donald Trump. The Kentucky Republican, now staring at the political aftermath of a loss that Trump openly pushed for, said the party was already paying a price for its fight with the president.
“It’s true, you can take out Republicans in primaries, but Republicans are going to be very vulnerable this fall,” Massie said on Meet the Press, adding that GOP lawmakers were “worried about their own political mortality.” He said his split with Trump was “absolutely worth it for me,” but added, “I don’t think it’s going to be worth it for the party.”
Massie’s warning landed at a moment when Republicans are still sorting through the political damage of a fight that Trump made personal. The president repeatedly criticized Massie in public and urged supporters to vote him out of office, while Massie remained one of the few Republicans willing to challenge Trump on high-profile issues, including the war in Iran and the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. That break did not save him in last week’s primary, and it also sharpened his argument that the party has moved too far away from some of the voters Trump once assembled.
He said there is now a growing number of people on the right suffering from what he called “Trump Disappointment Syndrome,” a version of TDS that reflects disillusionment rather than reflexive opposition. Massie said Republicans had “disenfranchised a large portion of that constituency that Trump assembled to get us in the White House, in the Senate majority and in the House majority.”
He also used the interview to attack the White House ballroom, calling it a “slap in the face of Americans” and an “egregious waste of money.” Massie said the project clashed with the economic strain many households are feeling. “The president was bragging on the Roman architecture, when in fact we’re operating like a Roman Empire,” he said. “We’re overextended overseas with our foreign aid, with our foreign bases. We’re spending money that we don’t have, and the gasoline and rent and groceries are so high that people can’t afford it.” He added, “I do think it’s dangerous to indulge in these things like a gold-plated ballroom in Washington, D.C., while Americans are suffering.”
The criticism comes as Republicans have tried to direct $1 billion in taxpayer funds toward security related to construction of the ballroom, only for the Senate parliamentarian to later say the bill would have to be rewritten to move through reconciliation. The dispute underscores the gap Massie is trying to exploit: a party trying to project discipline and power while still fighting over spending, image and Trump’s priorities.
Asked whether he was considering a presidential run in 2028, Massie did not shut the door. “I will not rule out anything, and right now, I’m not going to rule in anything,” he said. He added that, after the weeks of political pressure, “Every hour that passes, I get decompressed a little bit more,” comparing the moment to “coming up from the bottom of the ocean.”
For now, Massie said he expects to stay in the fight, even if it is not from elected office. “I’ll take some time and decide what’s next, but I think I will stay engaged in some way or shape,” he said. “Maybe it’s from the outside.” He said he has spent years “exposing what’s going on in Washington, D.C.,” and intends to keep doing it, a sign that his clash with Trump may be over on the ballot but not in the broader battle for the party’s direction.
