‘They can’t live with or without Trump’: David Axelrod breaks down POTUS' hold on GOP

WASHINGTON, DC: Political strategist David Axelrod delivered a brutal assessment of Donald Trump’s grip over the Republican Party on Tuesday, May 19, arguing that the GOP now finds itself politically trapped by a leader it cannot fully embrace or escape.

Axelrod’s comments came shortly after Trump-backed candidate Ed Gallrein defeated longtime Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie in one of the most closely watched Republican primaries in the country.

Donald Trump scores another victory against GOP critics

“Here's the problem for Republicans,” Axelrod said. “They can't live in the Republican Party without Donald Trump, and they can't live outside of the Republican Party with Donald Trump because he's an epically unpopular president who is popular among his own tribe, and his own tribe is not big enough to win elections.”

Trump’s latest political triumph came after Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL and Kentucky farmer, defeated Rep Thomas Massie in the Republican House primary.

The race became one of the most expensive congressional contests in US history and was widely seen as a major test of Trump’s continuing power inside the party.

Gallrein’s nearly ten-point victory represented a huge win not just for Trump personally, but also for the pro-Israel groups and political allies who aggressively worked to remove Massie from office.

Speaking during his victory celebration, Gallrein made it clear that loyalty to Trump had become central to his campaign message.

“My focus is on advancing the president's and the party's agenda to put America first and Kentucky always,” Gallrein said after securing the win.

Thomas Massie tried to resist Donald Trump’s influence

Massie had long built a reputation inside Congress as an independent-minded conservative willing to break from party leadership, including Trump himself.

The Kentucky lawmaker voted against Trump’s major tax and spending package, arguing it would worsen federal budget deficits.

He also played a role in pushing efforts tied to the release of Epstein-related files, even while facing resistance from the White House before it later supported the move.

In recent months, Massie also emerged as one of the loudest Republican critics of Trump’s approach toward Iran and repeatedly voted alongside Democrats to limit military action connected to the conflict.

Despite those disagreements, Massie believed his strong grassroots support could overcome Trump’s endorsement of Gallrein.

“I've got the groundswell here,” Massie said earlier during the campaign. “I've got 100–200, sometimes 300 people show up.”

He also mocked Gallrein’s campaign events by claiming his opponent struggled to attract supporters.

“My opponent had to cancel events because he couldn't get enough people, you know, to fill up a Dairy Queen, half a Dairy Queen,” Massie said.

Massie further argued that Trump’s decision to send Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth into Kentucky to campaign for Gallrein proved the race was tighter than many believed.

“They wouldn't be sending the Secretary of War to my congressional district if I weren't,” Massie added while suggesting he was leading in internal polling.

David Axelrod says Republicans face growing political problem

Axelrod’s comments reflected what many political observers increasingly see inside the Republican Party: Trump remains powerful enough to dominate Republican primaries, but questions continue about whether that influence helps or hurts Republicans nationally.

Massie’s defeat also followed several other political victories for Trump against Republicans who crossed him publicly.

Earlier this month, Trump celebrated the defeat of Indiana GOP lawmakers who blocked redistricting efforts that would have benefited Republicans ahead of the midterms.

Another major setback for a Trump critic came when Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who voted to convict Trump after his second impeachment, failed to advance in his Senate runoff race.