President Donald Trump lambasted Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), a frequent antagonist of his administration, as a “moron” while speaking at the 74th National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday.
“He’s an automatic no,” Trump said of Massie’s tendency to vote against his administration. “No matter what. If we did welfare reform. If we did the greatest thing in history for religion. No matter what we did. No matter how good it is … we just did the greatest tax cuts in history, he voted against.”
“No matter what we do, this moron,” Trump added, drawing laughter. “No matter what it is.”
Massie, a libertarian conservative, has broken with the president on several occasions in the past year. The Kentucky Republican was an early proponent of releasing the Epstein files. Massie also supported Democratic efforts to curtail the president’s war powers regarding Venezuela. He also voted against Trump’s tax cuts, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“There’s something wrong with him,” Trump said. “We call him Rand Paul, Jr. You know, it’s like they just vote no. They love voting no. They think it’s good politically, the guys polling about 9%, it’s not good.”
Massie quickly hit back on social media following the president’s remarks.
“The President of the United States called me a moron at the National Prayer Breakfast this morning because I’m still fighting for what he promised the American people: Reduce big spending, DOGE, no new wars, end foreign aid, defend 1A 2A 4A, prolife, and expose sex traffickers,” he wrote on X.
Trump is supporting a primary challenge to Massie this year. The president is urging the GOP to coalesce around Ed Gallrein, who is challenging Massie in the GOP primary.
TRUMP JOKES ABOUT NEEDING HELP FROM GOD DURING NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST
“I have heard that there are other Candidates exploring a run for this seat, but I am asking all MAGA Warriors to rally behind Captain Ed Gallrein, the Candidate who is, far and away, best positioned to DEFEAT Third Rate Congressman Thomas Massie, a Weak and Pathetic RINO from the beautiful Commonwealth of Kentucky, a place I love, and won BIG, ALL THREE TIMES,” he wrote on Truth Social last month.
Trump-aligned groups have also pledged to spend heavily to defeat Massie. The Kentucky Republican has beaten back a primary challenge each cycle since 2020.
