Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) is tying himself closely to President Donald Trump‘s policies in a new ad, as early voting in the incumbent’s primary against Trump-endorsed Ed Gallrein is nearly two weeks away.
Massie has sparred with Trump over the first year and a half of the president’s second term, mainly over U.S. intervention in foreign conflicts. Massie also voted against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act due to concerns about the federal deficit and aggressively lobbied to release the Epstein files.
Massie, who has represented northern Kentucky in the U.S. House since 2012, drew Trump’s ire enough to the point that Trump endorsed former Navy SEAL Gallrein to challenge the incumbent this year.
But Massie has tried to realign himself with Trump in the public eye, releasing several ads pinning him close to the president. The latest of these efforts is an ad Massie posted on social media, in which he says, “Let’s just talk about the elephant in the room,” before emphasizing that he votes with Trump most of the time.
“I agree with President Trump a whole lot more than I disagree with him,” Massie says in the ad. “The list is long. The SAVE AMERICA Act to require proof of citizenship to vote, stopping immigrant welfare, fighting the woke agenda, defending the Second Amendment, protecting the life of the unborn, securing the border.”
Massie closes out the 30-second video with an image of him walking hand in hand with an elephant wearing a signature red “Make America Great Again” hat, as he says, “President Trump and I have a whole lot more to get done together.”
Massie posted the ad on X, asking viewers to donate to his campaign so he can run the ad in three media markets across his district.
Trump has been clear about his distaste for Massie in the past year, calling him a “a Weak and Pathetic RINO” and a “totally ineffective LOSER who has failed us so badly” on Truth Social. On the other hand, Trump has called Gallrein a “very successful Businessman” and “Brave Combat Veteran” who “knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Defend our Country.”
But Massie hasn’t backed down from tying himself to Trump, also releasing an ad in mid-March that touted Trump’s previous endorsement of his campaign and Massie’s own endorsement of Trump.
The race between Massie and Gallrein will likely be one of the closest-watched GOP primaries in the country.
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The limited polls have shown Massie up in the contest, but only by single digits. The two candidates are also very close in their fundraising, with Massie having $1.47 million in cash on hand compared to Gallrein’s $1.39 million.
Kentucky’s primary is May 19, and general in-person early primary voting for Kentuckians begins on May 14.