President Donald Trump has publicly slammed Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, calling him the “worst Republican congressman”—even as Massie gains support from billionaire Elon Musk for his bold push to declassify documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking case.
On July 22, Trump unleashed a scathing post on Truth Social, attacking Massie’s record and character:
“Thomas Massie, the worst Republican Congressman, and an almost guaranteed NO VOTE each and every time, is an embarrassment to Kentucky. He’s lazy, slow moving, and totally disingenuous – a real loser!”
Trump also announced he is seeking a challenger to unseat Massie in the 2026 GOP primary, pledging to endorse and campaign for a new candidate.
But the feud may go beyond standard intraparty politics.
Massie, a libertarian-leaning Republican who has served in Congress since 2012, has recently led a high-profile effort to force the public release of evidence connected to Epstein’s 2019 child trafficking case. His actions, including a procedural move that threatened to trigger a House vote, prompted Speaker Mike Johnson to adjourn Congress early for summer recess—effectively blocking any further attempts.
“They’re trying to beat up on me to keep everybody else in line,” Massie told reporters on Capitol Hill shortly after Trump’s attack. “But I think this is going to backfire.”
Massie framed the growing tension as a test of independence within the Republican Party.
“This will be a referendum on whether the executive branch controls the legislative branch,” he said. “I’m going to prevail.”
Despite Trump’s threat to fund a primary challenger, Massie expressed confidence:
“They’re going to waste millions trying to beat me—and lose the House majority in the process. And it will embolden others who quietly agree with me but are afraid of losing their own primaries.”
Enter Elon Musk
The congressman isn’t without allies. Elon Musk, who has clashed with Trump in the past, has promised to support Massie’s reelection bid. In June, Musk vowed to back any candidates who opposed Trump’s multi-trillion-dollar “Big, Beautiful Bill”—which Massie voted against.
“Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame,” Musk posted on X. When asked if he would support Massie directly, Musk replied via his @grok AI bot:
“I will.”
Musk’s ties to the Epstein file saga run deeper. Shortly after leaving his brief stint as head of Trump’s short-lived Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk ignited controversy with a now-deleted post suggesting Trump himself was mentioned in sealed Epstein records.
“Time to drop the really big bomb,” Musk wrote in June. “@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That’s the real reason they haven’t been made public.”
Musk later deleted the post, admitting he may have “gone too far” in his speculation—but not before fueling further scrutiny of Trump’s handling of the Epstein investigation.
With Massie continuing to demand transparency and Trump searching for someone to unseat him, the battle over Epstein’s secrets is quickly turning into a flashpoint inside the Republican Party—pitting Trump’s political machine against a vocal dissenter with a billionaire backer and a growing base of grassroots support.
