HEBRON, Ky. — Rep. Thomas Massie, a constant thorn in the side of GOP leaders during his eight terms in Congress, is no stranger to a primary challenge. But this year, President Donald Trump’s fury with the Kentucky libertarian has reached a boiling point.

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On Tuesday, voters in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District will decide whether Massie becomes the latest casualty of Trump’s campaign to unseat foes inside the Republican Party as he faces off against Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL and fifth-generation farmer who was personally recruited by the president.

“People aren’t going to be voting for me or voting for him on election day,” Massie told NBC News in an interview in his Capitol Hill office. “They’re either going to be voting for me or voting against me.”

The race has been the most expensive House primary in history in terms of ad spending, according to AdImpact, totaling more than $32 million — largely dominated by Trump-aligned groups and pro-Israel organizations pouring millions into negative ads against Massie.

On Saturday, Trump successfully ousted Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., afterrecruiting and backinga primary opponent, GOP Rep. Julia Letlow. And earlier this month in Indiana, Trumphelped unseat GOP state lawmakerswhom he blamed for foiling his redistricting there.

In Kentucky, Trump searched for months for a challenger to Massie, eventually landing on Gallrein, who had sought public office just once before, losing a state Senate race in 2024. When Gallrein entered the primary against Massie in October, blessed by a Trump post on Truth Social encouraging him to run, he was, by most accounts, a blank slate.

“I want to just — give me somebody with a warm body to beat Massie,” Trump said at a March event in the heart of Massie’s district. “And I got somebody with a warm body, but a big, beautiful brain and a great patriot.”

Gallrein has leaned into his identity as Trump’s chosen candidate, telling Kentuckians at a campaign stop on Thursday that he is “100% behind the president and what he is doing to turn our nation around.”

He declined to debate Massie and skipped county events where both candidates were invited to speak. He did not respond to a request for an interview from NBC News.

Source: Drudge Report