Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky posted on X on Oct. 1 after President Trump, in a Time interview, called him a “sleazebag,” said he came from Kentucky, and claimed he had campaigned against him and beaten him in the election. Massie wrote that if someone is a fan of his, Trump “doesn’t want your vote in the midterms,” linking the interview transcript. The post drew thousands of reactions, with replies split between users who said Massie had kept earlier campaign promises and others who treated his primary loss as settled.
The published transcript is of a White House interview conducted on Sept. 28 by Time’s Eric Cortellessa and Sam Jacobs. Asked about the midterms, Trump said, “No, I think we’ll do okay if I campaign, and I intend to,” and later, “If I campaign for people, those people are going to win.”
He then said, “Thomas Massie is a sleazebag, comes from Kentucky. He was semi-popular, but not somebody that could be beaten. And I campaigned against him, and I beat him in the election.” The Time presents this as a transcript, not as embedded video of the exchange.
Massie lost the May Republican primary in Kentucky’s 4th District to Trump-backed Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL and farmer, after a race that news reports described as the most expensive House primary on record.
Coverage at the time tied the clash to Massie’s votes against parts of Trump’s agenda, criticism of the Iran war, and his push to release Epstein-related files. The Oct. 1 post does not show the primary itself. It quotes the later interview and applies it to the midterms.
How Viewers Are Responding to Massie’s Post
Some readers treated Trump’s line as a rejection of Massie’s supporters. One wrote, “Massie is the only one in Washington who tried to keep the MAGA promises. Trump sure didn’t.” Another said, “You’re on the way up, he’s on the way down.”
A Kentucky congressional candidate replied, “If you’re a fan of my congressman, I do want your vote.”
Others focused on the primary result and on Massie’s wording. One commenter wrote, “This is what it’s always been about for @RepThomasMassie: ‘if you’re my fan,’” and added, “You not returning to our house is a win for America.”
A separate reply said, “Your ego can’t handle that you lost lol.”
A longer comment argued that Trump’s attacks after the 2024 election showed he had “betrayed America” and had used Massie and other conservatives “just to get into power.”
For now, the exchange sits inside a broader argument over political loyalty, primary results, and the approaching midterms. Whether Trump’s remarks ultimately change how Massie’s supporters vote remains an open question, particularly as tensions between the two sides continue to play out.
