Why Donald Trump is trying to give an example of this Republican house

Washington – In his second term, President Donald Trump has turned the majority of the Republican members of Congress, of the President of the House of Representatives who declared that Congress does not have war powers to the Backbench wings that nominate him for the Nobel Prize, in his puppets and henchmen.

Except for the representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).

The Republican of Kentucky has launched the tide of Trumpism, without shouting “High!” Exactly, but at least it does not accompany the tide.

And Trump clearly hates him.

“He votes, ‘No!’ In everything, because he believes it makes it great, but it’s not great, it’s a loser! “Triumph wrote on its social truth platform Tuesday, The latest of a series of similar blows.

“Take this ‘bum’ out of the office, as soon as possible!” The President Posted on Monday.

“Maga is not lazy, great and non -productive politicians, of which Thomas Massie is definitely one,” Trump, “Trump He wrote on Sunday.

Massie has repeatedly voted against Trump’s priorities, including the so-called Big Beautiful Bill, and this month he also questioned the constitutionality of Trump’s decision to jump to the Israel-Iran War.

Then Trump has intensified his attacks against Massie, saying that this week he will recruit a main opponent and a campaign against Massie in his northern Kentucky district. On Thursday, a new Super PAC supported by Trump allies Antimassie attack ads presented.

Massie says that it is not about him, it is about intimidating the many other Republicans who have threatened to deviate from the party’s line.

“He is doing this public and very flagrantly and notoriously to keep all those people online because they don’t want any part of this, while I think I can hold it,” Massie told News themezone in an interview this week.

Massie and representative Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) were the only Republicans who voted against the great bill when he approved the Chamber in May, although an important group of Republicans had threatened to do so. Its main complaint is that the tax cuts of the bill are much larger than its expense cuts, which means that it would increase federal budget deficits.

For years and years, Republicans have said budget deficit and the growing national debt are pure bad. The libertarian wing of the party, of which Massie is a prominent member, has always been particularly inflexible.

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, INC through Getty Images

The funny thing is that Massie is not an anti-trump republican. It is a reliable Voter aligned with Trump In most high profile problems and a main voice in others.

To give an example, Massie is the main defender of the theory that the disturbance of January 6, 2021 in the United States Capitol had been at least partially instigated by Trump, but for an alleged FBI informant called Ray EPPS, with the ultimate goal of attracting Trump’s supporters in the criminal justice system. EPPS repeatedly said under the penalty of Perjury that he was not a federal agent. He was accused of crimes along with another 1,500 supporters of Trump.

When I mentioned that EPPS got a forgiveness like the rest of them, Massie seemed a bit disappointed. “Did you receive forgiveness?” (All participants on January 6 have received executive clemency unless they reject it proactively).

As for Trump’s attacks, Massie projects the confidence that no one can overcome him in his district, noting that he beat the primary challengers last year and that Trump has not yet recruited a real primary opponent this year. He has raised money from Trump’s publications while avoiding a tone of confrontation.

“I have not intensified. I just try to make a joke every time. I am ready for a high fire. I took three of his bunker busters and I’m still here,” Massie said. “In private, I am receiving some fist blows here and beyond my colleagues because of the way I am basically playing, not fighting with the president, simply bringing humor.”

Massie’s biggest difference with Trump and other Republicans is in the question of federal budgetary deficits. On a superficial level, there is no difference: all Republicans favor fiscal responsibility, which means that all Republicans want to reduce federal budgetary deficits and eventually reduce national debt. Or at least they say yes.

Massie is the only one who constantly votes against important bills of expenses, and has been the only vote of “no” reliable against the great bill and his promise of billion in additional debt.

In March, a group of extreme -right Republicans threatened to vote against a government financing bill, then yielded under the pressure of the White House. One of them was Davidson, Ohio’s Republican who joined Massie to vote against the great bill in May.

“Many of us want to be Massie. We want to be the person who can say no. And I think it is important that he rethinks that land,” Davison told journalists in March. “For me, he’s like a lighthouse. It shows where we should go, but you know, you don’t negotiate with headlights.”