Thomas Massie bashes Republicans, Trump's ballroom after primary loss

Outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie slammed his fellow Republican members of Congress and President Donald Trump during the May 24 edition of "Meet the Press," less than a week after losing to a Trump-backed primary challenger in his Kentucky district.

After serving seven terms in the House, the maverick Massie was defeated in a May 19 race by Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL.

The incumbent told NBC host Kristen Welker that he believes he was unseated because of his support for releasing the government's Epstein files, including his Epstein Transparency Act legislation. The Kentucky lawmaker authored the bill − which sought to shed light on federal materials about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein − with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna.

"I think the biggest crime I committed against the swamp, Kristen, was showing the American people that somebody on the right could join somebody on the left and get something done, which is releasing the Epstein Files," Massie said.

Americans on both sides of the aisle have called for the government to share more information about the disgraced financier. The president signed legislation last year requiring the release of documents, but some critics say more should be available to the public.

Trump and Epstein were publicly friends decades ago, but they had a falling out in the early 2000s. Trump has long denied any wrongdoing, and he's never been charged with a crime in connection with Epstein.

Massie's loss arrived one week after fellow Republican and Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy also lost his reelection bid after Trump urged voters to unseat him.

Rep. Julia Letlow, a House colleague of Massie, garnered the most votes and headed to a runoff with state Treasurer John Fleming. Both races were seen as a check on Trump's influence among Republican primary voters amid sinking approval ratings with the general public.

But Massie hasn't only criticized the Trump administration over the Epstein files. He has also pointed out that Trump's signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which he was one of two Republicans to oppose, added about $3.8 trillion to the deficit. 

'Absolutely worth it'

Massie said during his "Meet the Press" interview that he believes it was "absolutely worth it for me" to challenge Trump and other Republicans, even after losing his House district.

"Some people on the left have Trump derangement syndrome, they call it TDS," Massie said, referencing a frequent Trump insult. "But there's a growing number of people on the right who have a form of TDS called Trump disappointment syndrome."

Massie argued his party has alienated multiple GOP factions that helped reelect Trump in November 2024, including fiscal hawks, supporters of the Make America Healthy Again agenda and those who oppose U.S. intervention in foreign wars and conflicts.

During his appearance on the news program, Massie seemingly vowed to continue opposing Trump for the rest of his congressional term. "I've got seven more months to keep going against the grain, which means voting for principles and for people over party," Massie said.

He also called Trump's ballroom an "egregious waste of money" after he was asked by Welker if he believed the party was beginning to break with Trump.

Last week, many Senate Republicans appeared uneasy about the $1 billion proposed for White House security funding tied to Trump's ballroom project, which has garnered backlash from the left. Trump has long said that the White House ballroom itself would be funded by private donors, not taxpayer dollars.