Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie turned a Sunday morning Truth Social tirade from Donald Trump into a fundraising pitch, taunting the president for 'losing sleep' and accusing AIPAC of dumping a further £2.3 million ($3 million) into his primary race over a single weekend out of sheer panic.

Appearing onABC's 'This Week'on 17 May 2026, the eight-term Republican congressman fired back at a string of overnight Truth Social attacks from Trump, who called him 'the Worst Republican Congressman in History' and told Kentucky voters to 'vote the bum out.' Massie argued the relentless attacks from the White House and the pro-Israel lobby were proof that his opponent, Trump-backed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, had failed to pull ahead.

The Kentucky 4th district primary, scheduled for Tuesday 19 May 2026, has already become the most expensive House primary in American history, with more than $25.6 million in advertising spend recorded by ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

The confrontation boiled over the morning after Trump's allySenator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana was ousted in his own primary. Trump celebrated Cassidy's defeat late Saturday night and immediately pivoted to Kentucky, posting a fresh wave of attacks on Massie. 'Bad Congressman Tom Massie voted against Tax Cuts, the Border Wall, our Military and Law Enforcement,' Trumpwrote on Truth Social.

'Actually, he voted against almost everything that is good. The Worst Republican Congressman in History. Kentucky, vote the bum out on Tuesday.' In a separate post, Trump called Massie 'the worst and most unreliable Republican Congressman in the history of our Country' and 'an even bigger insult to our Nation than Senator Bill Cassidy.'

Massie did not flinch. Sitting across from host George Stephanopoulos on Sunday morning, he framed every Trump post as a recruitment tool for his own campaign. 'Every time he tweets about me, it's good for some money coming in, because people don't like that,' Massie said.

He then delivered a blunt read on the state of the race: 'You can tell that I'm ahead in the polls, and they're desperate. That's why they're sending the Secretary of War to my district tomorrow. That's why the president's losing sleep and tweeting about this. That's why AIPAC has dumped another £2.3 million ($3 million) into my race this weekend, is because they're panicked, and they really haven't been able to gain a lead in this race.'

Thomas Massie says he has the entire Israeli establishment panicking as AIPAC reportedly dumps another emergency $3 million into the race to save his opponent.Massie says the deployment of Pete Hegseth is a desperate move and claims President Trump is “losing sleep” over the…pic.twitter.com/hwjxxVGp3k

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was confirmed to be travelling to Kentucky's 4th congressional district on Monday 18 May to campaign alongside Gallrein, a move Massie cited as evidence of the campaign's desperation.Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who had travelled to Kentucky to campaign for Massie, publicly refused to back down afterTrump threatened to withdraw support for her, posting on X: 'I knew the risks when I agreed to stand by my friend Thomas Massie. I was, and will be, America First, America Always, and MAGA.'

Yes, I saw the President’s post.No, I’m not mad or offended. I knew the risks when I agreed to stand by my friend Thomas Massie.I was, and will be, America First, America Always, and MAGA.Onward 🇺🇸

Source: International Business Times UK