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Rep. Thomas Massie — a Republican fiscal hawk going through a President Donald Trump-backed main challenger in Kentucky — has beforehand described himself as “America First,” however now he says he thinks that he is “America solely.”
“I’m bored with sending cash abroad,” he advised Fox Information Digital throughout an interview on Thursday.
“I’m bored with favoring overseas beef over U.S.A.-grown beef,” he continued. “I am able to be America solely. And I feel all congressmen must be that manner.”
Massie gave Trump a combined assessment, saying that the president is America First on “some” fronts.
REP THOMAS MASSIE REMARRIES AFTER WIFE’S DEATH LAST YEAR: ‘PLEASE PRAY FOR US’
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., previous to a information convention exterior the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. ( Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg through Getty Pictures)
“However on the subject of the meat, he isn’t America first. In terms of sending cash abroad to Ukraine and Israel,” Massie mentioned, “I feel he must get again to his marketing campaign guarantees and put America first. As a result of we’re not gonna make America nice once more by sending our cash abroad.”
Massie famous that his “largest disagreement” with each the Trump administration and Home Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is the rise in spending.
“I imply, I believed we had been conservatives. Why are we spending extra this yr than Joe Biden spent in his final yr? Truly, we’re spending about $200 billion {dollars} extra,” he mentioned, including that the consequence “is inflation and better rates of interest.”
“And individuals are feeling that. You may’t gaslight them,” Massie added. “You may’t inform them that issues are getting cheaper once they’re not getting cheaper.”
In a press release to Fox Information Digital, White Home spokesman Kush Desai accused Massie of “Faux Math.”
TRUMP SAYS MASSIE IS ‘GONNA BE HISTORY’ AS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ JUMPS FINAL HURDLES TO PASSAGE
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., talks about his nationwide debt button earlier than President Joe Biden’s State of the Union tackle within the Home Chamber on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Name, Inc through Getty Pictures)
“Listed below are the information: President Trump’s Working Households Tax Reduce Act reduce obligatory spending by $1.5 trillion over the following 10 years, and the finances deficit from April to September of this yr is down a staggering 40% in comparison with final yr, when Joe Biden was president,” Desai declared within the assertion.
“As an alternative of Faux Math, Thomas Massie ought to mirror on how he betrayed his voters and hardworking Individuals when he voted with each Democrat towards the most important tax reduce for working households in American historical past, together with no tax on suggestions, no tax on Social Safety, no tax on extra time pay, elevated baby tax credit, and permanence for the 2017 Trump Tax Cuts,” he added.
Massie mentioned his different disagreements with what has been occurring in D.C. are “secondary” to the spending situation.
“I’d say, we have to comply with by on a few of our marketing campaign guarantees. As an example, launch the Epstein information,” he mentioned.
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Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., have been spearheading a bid to power a Home vote on a proposal that may compel the discharge of supplies pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein.
Their discharge petition has amassed 217 of the 218 signatures wanted to power the vote, however Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, who has mentioned she’s going to signal on, has nonetheless not but been sworn in to workplace greater than six weeks after profitable a particular election in Arizona.
Johnson “has tried each which manner he can to keep away from this vote,” Massie claimed, asserting that the speaker has not sworn within the Democrat as a result of she “represents the 218th signature I must power a vote on releasing the Epstein information.”
Fox Information Digital reached out to Johnson’s workplace for remark.
RAND PAUL PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR MASSIE AGAINST TRUMP-BACKED CHALLENGER: ‘I’M GOING TO HELP HIM’
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., throughout a information convention exterior the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg through Getty Pictures)
Massie, who owns cattle himself, mentioned the president has “form of intestine punched the cattle ranchers and… livestock farmers” within the U.S.
Throughout remarks aboard Air Power One final month, Trump indicated the U.S. was contemplating shopping for beef from Argentina to drive down costs.
Days later Reuters reported {that a} White Home official indicated that the administration was quadrupling the nation’s low-tariff imports of beef from the South American nation. Growing the tariff charge quota to 80,000 metric tons will permit Argentina to ship higher portions of the product to America at a decrease charge of obligation, in accordance with the outlet.
The president has Massie in his political crosshairs — he has repeatedly reviled the congressman on Fact Social.
In a put up on Monday, Trump referred to Massie as “a Weak and Pathetic RINO” — a pejorative acronymn that stands for “Republican in identify solely.” He additionally referred to as the congressman “a very ineffective LOSER,” whereas expressing his help for main challenger Ed Gallrein, who Trump is backing within the race.
SCOOP: TRUMP-BACKED FORMER NAVY SEAL LAUNCHES GOP PRIMARY CHALLENGE AGAINST MASSIE
President Donald Trump waits for the arrival of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the White Home on Oct. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Pictures)
Even because the president tries to persuade voters in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to reject Massie, the lawmaker mentioned that he doesn’t remorse endorsing Trump forward of the 2024 election, noting that former Vice President Kamala Harris would have been a complete “catastrophe.”
Massie initially backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis within the GOP presidential main, however DeSantis dropped out and backed Trump, and Massie later endorsed the Republican juggernaut as nicely.
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“And I am glad that President Trump received,” he mentioned.
Trump has “performed loads of good issues,” he mentioned, including that a lot of them have been carried out through govt order, and he thinks Congress ought to vote on extra of the problems in order that the president’s strikes should not merely “short-term actions.”
Requested whether or not he’d have any curiosity in doubtlessly operating for president himself, Massie mentioned that he’s not .
