President Donald Trump went after Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) with both barrels Sunday, calling him a “LOSER,” as well as a “negative force,” “grandstander” and a “lightweight” for criticizing the president’s decision to bomb three of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Saturday night, Massie called Trump’s actions “an act of war” and “not constitutional” in response to Trump’s Truth Social post Saturday night announcing the strikes on Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan in Iran.
“When two countries are bombing each other daily in a hot war, and a third country joins the bombing, that’s an act of war,” Massie posted on X. “I’m amazed at the mental gymnastics being undertaken by neocons in D.C. (and their social media bots) to say we aren’t at war … so they can make war.”
Massie and Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif) introduced the War Powers Resolution in the House of Representatives last week as Trump was deciding whether or not to strike.
The pair’s War Powers Resolution seeks to “remove United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Islamic State of Iran” and directs Trump to “terminate” the deployment of American troops against Iran without an “authorized declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military forces against Iran.”
After Speaker Mike Johnson praised Trump’s actions on X, saying the “imminent danger outweighed the time it would take for Congress to act,” Massie responded: “Why didn’t you call us back from vacation to vote on military action if there was a serious threat to our country?”
The congressman added: “I introduced a War Powers Resolution on Tuesday, while Congress was on vacation. We would have had plenty of time to debate and vote on this.”
However, Presidents do not need congressional approval for limited air strikes.
The Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war, but the Commander-in-Chief has the authority to use military force in response to an attack or to protect national interests.
In 2011 in fact, President Barack Obama ordered a military intervention in Libya that lasted eight months without congressional approval. Three months into the intervention, Congress voted against approving the conflict, but defeated an effort to cut off funding for drone attacks and airstrikes.
In the last year of Obama’s presidency, 26,171 bombs were dropped on Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan, many without congressional approval, according to the New York City-based think tank’s “undoubtedly low” estimate.
On Sunday, Trump hit back at Massie—hard.
“Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky is not MAGA, even though he likes to say he is. Actually, MAGA doesn’t want him, doesn’t know him, and doesn’t respect him,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“He is a negative force who almost always votes ‘NO,’ no matter how good something may be. He’s a simple-minded ‘grandstander’ who thinks it’s good politics for Iran to have the highest level Nuclear weapon, while at the same time yelling ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’ at every chance they get.”
The president reiterated his case for bombing Iran’s nuclear sites, saying Iran has “killed and maimed” thousands of Americans and “even took over the American Embassy in Tehran under the Carter Administration.”
“We had a spectacular military success yesterday, taking the ‘bomb’ right out of their hands (and they would use it if they could!) but, as usual, and despite all of the praise and accolades received, this ‘lightweight’ Congressman is against what was so brilliantly achieved last night in Iran,” Trump wrote, going on to take a swipe at Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.
“Massie is weak, ineffective, and votes ‘NO’ on virtually everything put before him (Rand Paul Jr.), no matter how good something may be,” the president said.
Trump also accused Massie of being “disrespectful” to the U.S. military for failing to acknowledge “their brilliance and bravery in yesterday’s attack, which was a total and complete WIN.”
Massie should drop his fake act and start putting America First, but he doesn’t know how to get there — he doesn’t have a clue! He’ll undoubtedly vote against the Great, Big, Beautiful Bill, even though non-passage means a 68% Tax Increase for everybody, and many things far worse than that. MAGA should drop this pathetic LOSER, Tom Massie, like the plague! The good news is that we will have a wonderful American Patriot running against him in the Republican Primary, and I’ll be out in Kentucky campaigning really hard. MAGA is not about lazy, grandstanding, nonproductive politicians, of which Thomas Massie is definitely one.
The president then thanked the military again for “the AMAZING job” they did, adding “it was really SPECIAL!!! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
Massie responded to Trump’s Truth Social post on X, saying:”[Donald Trump] declared so much War on me today it should require an Act of Congress. #sassywithmassie.”
Trump followed up with another Truth Social post Monday morning, saying simply: “GET THIS “BUM” OUT OF OFFICE, ASAP!!!”