{"id":2793,"date":"2026-05-24T17:39:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T17:39:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/24\/trump-has-alienated-voters-ahead-of-midterms-warns-ousted-republican-thomas-massie\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T17:39:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T17:39:39","slug":"trump-has-alienated-voters-ahead-of-midterms-warns-ousted-republican-thomas-massie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=2793","title":{"rendered":"Trump has \u2018alienated\u2019 voters ahead of midterms, warns ousted Republican Thomas Massie"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"ca02c096-10f7-4889-9b2e-a37220dd48b1\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"man in suit smiles with american flag in background\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/67612a4a87e25aaa4e626d7ae08ad704a5cd3fd4\/576_0_2879_2304\/master\/2879.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372.12921153178183\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Thomas Massie speaks with supporters after his concession speech on 19 May in Hebron, Kentucky.<\/span> Photograph: Jon Cherry\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"ca02c096-10f7-4889-9b2e-a37220dd48b1\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Thomas Massie speaks with supporters after his concession speech on 19 May in Hebron, Kentucky.<\/span> Photograph: Jon Cherry\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Trump has \u2018alienated\u2019 voters ahead of midterms, warns ousted Republican Thomas Massie<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>GOP congressman says his party is set to count cost of \u2018Trump disappointment syndrome\u2019 after primary defeat<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/republicans\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Republican<\/a> party is on course for a damaging rejection at the ballot box in November, according to a maverick US congressman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/kentucky-republican-primary-trump-massie\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">ousted<\/a> by a challenger handpicked by the president.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, became the latest of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/23\/donald-trump-revenge-republicans-thomas-massie\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Trump\u2019s<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/bill-cassidy-loss-trump-louisiana\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">targets<\/a> to be defeated in the party\u2019s primaries this week. He had repeatedly broken with the president over military action against Iran, government spending and the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">As control of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/us-congress\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">US Congress<\/a> hangs in the balance, Massie warned on Sunday that Trump has \u201cdisenfranchised\u201d many of the Americans who voted for him \u2013 and their party \u2013 in November 2024.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"314d887e-df4e-4dc5-ac03-fa9d110465b6\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-3 | 3\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-1ljij2n\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/23\/donald-trump-revenge-republicans-thomas-massie\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">Donald Trump\u2019s revenge tour against Republican dissenters is in full swing. Will it backfire?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The libertarian-minded congressman, who will remain in the House of Representatives for the rest of year, promised to stay engaged in politics, even if \u201cit\u2019s from the outside\u201d, and expressed no regrets for the actions that angered Trump, even though they helped prompt his defeat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cIt was completely worth it,\u201d Massie told Meet the Press on NBC. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve got seven more months to keep going against the grain, which means voting for principles and for people over party.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In a nod to \u201cTrump derangement syndrome\u201d, the label frequently used by the president to accuse his critics of an obsession with him, Massie said: \u201cThere\u2019s a growing number of people on the right who have a form of TDS called Trump disappointment syndrome.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cAnd I think what\u2019s going to happen to the party this fall, is they\u2019ve disenfranchised a large portion of that constituency that Trump assembled to get us in the White House, in the Senate majority, and in the House majority.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Massie pointed to several significant constituencies \u2013 including \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/feb\/04\/trump-environmental-rollbacks-maha-promise\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Make America healthy again<\/a>\u201d campaigners, fiscal hawks pushing for sweeping government budget cuts, and voters who don\u2019t want the US engaged in wars \u2013 who he claimed had been \u201calienated\u201d by the administration\u2019s actions. \u201cAnd so, I\u2019m worried that in November, this is going to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/news\/ng-interactive\/2025\/dec\/27\/trump-republicans-midterm-elections-approval-rating\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">cost the party<\/a> a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Massie suggested in the interview that the \u201cbiggest crime\u201d he committed against \u201cthe swamp\u201d was joining with Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, in writing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/nov\/18\/house-vote-epstein-documents\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">bill to release<\/a> the Epstein files.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"8c4ed8ce-725b-4ee3-8a8d-dff3d95b423a\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-10 | 10\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-1ljij2n\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/kentucky-republican-primary-trump-massie\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">Trump critic Thomas Massie defeated in Kentucky Republican House primary<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThat\u2019s probably the only bill that\u2019s passed Washington DC in the past 10 years that lobbyists haven\u2019t written,\u201d Massie said. \u201cThat\u2019s when they decided that I had to be taken out \u2013\u00a0I was becoming effective so they wanted to eliminate me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">He lost his Republican primary race this week to Ed Gallrein, in the most expensive US congressional primary election race in history. Gallrein was recruited by Trump to challenge Massie.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">During Massie\u2019s speech on Tuesday, he said that if the legislative branch always sides with the president, then \u201cwe do have a king\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Massie now joins the ranks of Republicans who have broken with the president over the Epstein files and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/mar\/21\/trump-iran-war-stirs-anger-maga-kentucky\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">military<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/jun\/17\/trump-us-iran-israel-war\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">action<\/a> against Iran. Trump treated the primary race as a personal vendetta, calling Massie a \u201cmoron\u201d and \u201closer\u201d. He also traveled to Kentucky to campaign against Massie, calling him \u201cdisloyal to the United States of America\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The president swiftly celebrated Massie\u2019s defeat on Tuesday, declaring: \u201cHe was a bad guy. He deserves to lose.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-midterm-elections-2026\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US midterm elections 2026<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/republicans\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Republicans<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/us-israel-war-on-iran\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US-Israel war on Iran<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/jeffrey-epstein\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Jeffrey Epstein<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/kentucky\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Kentucky<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Trump%20has%20%E2%80%98alienated%E2%80%99%20voters%20ahead%20of%20midterms,%20warns%20ousted%20Republican%20Thomas%20Massie&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/24\/thomas-massie-trump-republican-voters-midterms?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F24%2Fthomas-massie-trump-republican-voters-midterms&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/24\/thomas-massie-trump-republican-voters-midterms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thomas Massie speaks with supporters after his concession speech on 19 May in Hebron, Kentucky. Photograph: Jon Cherry\/Getty<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2793\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}