OAN Staff Blake Wolf
3:13 PM – Monday, June 23, 2025
President Donald Trump slammed Kentucky GOP Representative Thomas Massie for criticizing U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict.
Trump has long been opposed to Massie (R-Ky.), previously backing his primary challenger in 2020, although Massie won with 81% of the vote.
“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. He is a negative force who always Votes ‘NO,’ no matter how good something may be,” Trump began.
The president previously criticized Massie, a fiscal hawk, for voting against his “One Big Beautiful Bill.” The representative argued that the spending bill is a “giant omnibus” that recklessly raises the debt ceiling while increasing government spending.
“Raising the debt ceiling in a massive omnibus bill is a blank check for more spending. I won’t support kicking the can down the road while our debt spirals out of control,” Massie wrote in an X post.
Trump believes that the bill is necessary to rebuild the military, boost the economy, and make America great again.
Trump went on to criticize Massie for opposing direct U.S. attacks against Iran, writing: “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. Iran has killed and maimed thousands of Americas, 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. Massie is weak, ineffective, and votes ‘NO’ on virtually everything put before him (Rand Paul, Jr.), no matter how good something may be,” Trump continued.
“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,” he added.
Meanwhile, Massie has called President Trump’s strikes on Iran unconstitutional, while introducing a War Powers Resolution. It would require Trump to withdraw all U.S. attacks against Iran, unless he receives a vote from Congress as only Congress has the authority to declare war.
The Trump administration has maintained that Saturday’s strike was not a declaration of war. Vice President JD Vance stated that the United States is not at war with Iran, but rather “we’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program.”
“But what we said to the Iranians is, we do not want war with Iran. We actually want peace, but we want peace in the context of them not having a nuclear weapons program, and that’s exactly what the president accomplished last night,” Vance stated.
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