President Donald Trump criticized Rep. Thomas Massie at a rally Wednesday at a packing plant in Kentucky, escalating his feud with the libertarian-leaning Republican while promoting Massie's primary challenger, Navy SEAL veteran Ed Gallrein.
Addressing a cheering crowd, Trump accused the seven-term lawmaker of consistently opposing the GOP's priorities.
"He's the worst," Trump said. "He only votes no. He just votes no.
"It doesn't matter. I could give him the best things in the history of a Republican voter, and he'd vote no. There is something wrong with him."
Trump also accused Massie of being disloyal to both his party and his country.
"He is disloyal to the Republican Party. He's disloyal to the people of Kentucky. And most importantly, he is disloyal to the United States of America," Trump said, adding that "somebody with a warm body" could defeat Massie in a Republican primary.
The president asserted that Massie had sided with Democrats on key issues such as tax policy and border security.
"Massie voted against tax cuts for seniors. He voted against tax cuts for overtime workers. And he voted against tax cuts for tip earners," Trump said. "He voted against our historic funding for border security."
Trump also used the rally to highlight Gallrein, a farmer he endorsed to challenge Massie in the GOP primary.
"You deserve an authentic, true Republican conservative that stands shoulder to shoulder with our president and the Republican Party and against the Democrats who are trying to destroy our nation," Gallrein told the crowd.
"The president understands that. The Republican Party understands that, and you all understand that, and I understand that," Gallrein added, leading supporters in a chant of "USA."
The clash reflects a long-running tension between Trump and Massie, who has frequently broken with party leadership and opposed several Trump-backed measures in Congress.
Massie, a fiscal conservative known for challenging large spending bills and emergency legislation, has at times drawn criticism from Trump and other Republican leaders for voting against major GOP initiatives.
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