(REUTERS)

Amid escalating intra-party conflict, President Donald Trump and his allies are orchestrating a high-stakes primary challenge against Rep. Thomas Massie (R‑Ky.), who has frequently criticized the president over key policy issues.

CNN reported Sunday that Trump's super PAC, Kentucky MAGA, is revving up to flood Massie’s district with resources and attacks designed to topple the lawmaker, who is up for reelection next year.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) lambasted his Kentucky colleague for undermining party unity. “He is actively working against his team almost daily now and seems to enjoy that role. So he is, you know, deciding his own fate,” Johnson told CNN.

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"Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership team are sending their clearest signals to date that their conservative colleague will have to fend for himself as Trump’s allies prepare to dump millions into Massie’s district to purge him from the Northeastern Kentucky district he’s represented for nearly 13 years. In interviews with CNN, five members of House GOP leadership declined to offer their backing for Massie’s reelection bid – and Johnson would not say if he’d support his colleague," the report said.

Massie is pushing fiercely to force the release of files related to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, needing just two more GOP signatures for a discharge petition that would bypass leadership. Earlier, he bucked the party line on crucial votes, most recently ambushing a continuing resolution aimed at preventing a government shutdown, as well as lampooning Trump’s domestic priorities for ballooning the deficit.

Meanwhile, Trump’s apparatus is hard at work. His MAGA-aligned super PAC, launched in June, is staffed by veterans Tony Fabrizio and Chris LaCivita. They have pledged to spend “whatever it takes” to replace Massie in the May 2026 primary.

Trump has not yet found a challenger to take on the Kentucky Republican. According to the report, "Trump and his team are still searching for a candidate who can go toe-to-toe with the 54-year-old Massie, who has burnished a brand of a party maverick not afraid to break from his leadership and the president of his own party – namely on issues of government spending and budget deficits. But Trump views Massie as a deeply disloyal actor in a party where he demands unflinching support."

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But Massie isn’t going down quietly. In mid‑July, his campaign announced that it had more than $1.7 million in its war chest for his reelection, including a solid $584,000 raised between April and June. He claims financial resilience and backing from high-profile backers, including tech billionaire and former Trump advisor, Elon Musk.