Thomas Massie apparently didn’t get the memo that getting steamrolled by President Trump’s political machine is supposed to end your career.
The Kentucky libertarian — booted from Congress after a bruising GOP primary defeat at the hands of Trump-backed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein — is already plotting his next act and teasing a possible return to Washington in 2028.
Just days after Republican voters in Kentucky’s Fourth Congressional District showed Massie the door, the congressman announced Monday that he had filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to keep his political operation alive.
“I filed with FEC for the 2028 House race,” Massie wrote on X. “This allows me to raise funds to continue my political operations supporting my position as a current office holder and as a potential candidate for federal office. I haven’t made a final decision about which office to seek, if I run.”
Massie had become one of the most persistent Republican thorns in Trump’s side during the president’s second term, repeatedly bucking the MAGA agenda while cozying up to causes that infuriated Trump loyalists.
Among the biggest flashpoints was Massie’s push for broader disclosure of files tied to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Massie co-sponsored legislation demanding the Department of Justice release additional Epstein records — a politically radioactive issue given Epstein’s past social ties to Trump, though the president has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
Massie also broke with much of the Republican base by opposing Trump’s increasingly hawkish posture toward Iran, further cementing his reputation as the GOP’s resident contrarian.
According to Mediaite, the feud exploded again over Memorial Day weekend when Trump unloaded on Massie in a blistering Truth Social rant that read like a digital flamethrower.
“I laugh at all of the Dumocrats, RINOS, and Fools who know nothing about the potential deal I am making with Iran,” Trump wrote before torching several Republican critics.
The president then zeroed in on Massie personally, calling him a “really bad Congressman” and “a major sleazebag who lost in a landslide to a great American Patriot.”
Classic Trump: part campaign rally, part mob-movie insult reel.
Massie, meanwhile, doesn’t appear interested in waving the white flag. During a weekend appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the outgoing congressman doubled down on his demand for more Epstein-related disclosures and accused the Justice Department of hiding critical information from the public. “Todd Blanche is violating the law,” Massie said. “There’s still millions of files they haven’t released. We know from talking to the victims’ lawyers that their own 302 forms haven’t been released. We know that files have been over-redacted. I have released at least three names of billionaires who are implicated in this.”
The comments are certain to keep Massie in the national spotlight — and keep him squarely on a collision course with Trump’s political orbit.
Whether Republican voters are interested in giving the Kentucky maverick another shot is a different question entirely. After this year’s primary drubbing, the answer from MAGA country looked pretty clear.
