‘He is fraudulent’: Trump accuses Thomas Massie of using outdated endorsement in Kentucky GOP primary

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump corrected the record regarding Representative Thomas Massie, clarifying that the lawmaker used an old endorsement to misinform voters and declaring that "Massie has my Complete and Total Endorsement!" is a completely fraudulent claim.

This clarification came as Trump-endorsed candidate Ed Gallrein secured a major victory over the seven-term incumbent in the Republican primary on Tuesday, May 19.

Trump calls Thomas Massie endorsement claim ‘fraudulent’

Trump addressed the situation on Truth Social, pointing out that Massie was using old material to confuse voters and explaining why he withdrew his support.

"Horrible Congressman Thomas Massie put out an old Endorsement, from many years ago, of him by me long before I found out that he was the Worst Congressman in the History of our Country," Trump wrote.

He added, "I endorsed Ed Gallrein, a true American Patriot, which Massie knows full well, so the statement that he put out is fraudulent, just like HE is fraudulent. WITHDRAW YOUR FAKE STATEMENT, MASSIE, RIGHT NOW!"

Speaking to reporters earlier that day, Trump also highlighted Massie’s habit of voting against key conservative policies and the America First agenda.

"Thomas Massey's a terrible congressman. He's been a terrible congressman from day one. Dealing with him is just a horrible, I don't think he's a Republican. I think he's actually, I think he's actually a Democrat. He's not a libertarian. You know, sometimes they say he's really a Democrat. He votes against us all the time," Trump said.

He continued, "He voted against the border wall. He voted against men playing in women's sports. He voted against transgender for everybody. The mutilization of your children."

"He voted against, again, open borders. We have the best border we've ever had right now. Nobody's coming in. I mean, a report just came out of the last 11 months, literally nobody has been allowed into our country illegally. We're taking people legally."

Trump-backed Ed Gallrein defeats Thomas Massie in Kentucky

With Trump’s endorsement, Gallrein, a farmer and retired Navy SEAL, won the Republican primary.

Gallrein defeated Massie by earning 54.4% of the vote compared to Massie’s 45.6%, with the Associated Press calling the race when 74% of the votes had been counted.

After his victory, Gallrein thanked his supporters and promised to bring his military dedication to Congress.

“For the same reason I entered as a Navy SEAL officer in 1983, because I had the audacity to think I could make a difference,” Gallrein said in his victory speech. “I will serve this district, my party and my nation with that same audacity.”

According to tracking firm AdImpact, the race became a historic contest, with more than $32 million spent on political advertisements.

Pro-Israel groups back Trump candidate Ed Gallrein

Trump-aligned groups like MAGA KY, alongside pro-Israel organizations such as American Israel Public Affairs Committee and Republican Jewish Coalition, worked together to support Ed Gallrein.

These groups invested heavily to replace Massie because of his votes against funding for Israel and his opposition to the One Big Beautiful Bill, Trump’s signature tax-and-spending legislation.

Massie had frequently broken away from the party, voting against key security measures and leading a push to release files on Jeffrey Epstein, which prompted Trump to urge voters to back a more reliable conservative instead.

This victory in Kentucky follows another successful endorsement by Trump in Louisiana, where a primary challenger unseated Senator Bill Cassidy after Cassidy voted for impeachment.

Trump has indicated that the movement will continue supporting strong conservative challengers in upcoming primaries, including the June 30 primary in Colorado.