SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
President Trump's most outspoken Republican critic on Capitol Hill is facing enormous pressure to fold or pay the price. And now Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie, a 12-year incumbent, is asking his constituents to fight an effort to oust him.
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THOMAS MASSIE: We need to have a second opinion on everything. Our founders set up a balance of government, and the balance of government is gone if you don't have a counterbalance within your own party.
SIMON: That's Representative Massie, joined by Kentucky Senator Rand Paul to rally voters during a blitz of campaign stops in their state. NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales traveled to northern Kentucky, but she's here in our studios now. Claudia, thanks so much for being with us.
CLAUDIA GRISALES, BYLINE: Good to see you, Scott.
SIMON: Congressman Massie and Senator Paul, who has been another prominent Trump critic on many issues, visited more than half a dozen communities. What did you hear?
GRISALES: Visit after visit, they told constituents that President Trump is one of the best presidents of their lifetimes. But they argued they're also part of the same Republican Party, and there should be room for disagreement. Paul defended Massie, who is a longtime friend, as the last member of the Tea Party, fighting for conservative values. I asked Paul to expand on what that means.
RAND PAUL: There'll be no more Tea Party. It's about the idea of limited government. But I'm all in for Thomas Massie.
GRISALES: And we should note Trump has also taken aim at Paul, but he's not up for reelection until 2028. However, in Massie's case, his seat will be contested, like all House seats, in next year's midterms.
SIMON: Now, President Trump has repeatedly publicly attacked Massie and Paul for voting against his agenda. Why don't they fall in line like their colleagues?
GRISALES: Both Massie and Paul are cut from the same kind of Tea Party, libertarian cloth, which is a contrast from the president - especially at this moment, when the Republican-led Congress has shown great fealty to the president. So they're often on the opposite ends of the president when it comes to spending, tariffs, the First Amendment. And in Massie's case, he's leading a charge to force the release of the Jeffrey Epstein records. And both are also playing to this independent, maverick Kentucky political brand and state of mind.
SIMON: How did you see constituents receive Massie and Paul's messages?
GRISALES: I saw a whole range of reactions. Some were very loyal to Massie and Paul. Others were saying they've gone too far or that Trump has gone too far. I talked to one couple who showed up to an event wearing T-shirts that read, I stand with Thomas Massie.
I talked to Diane Olberding. She voted for Trump in the last election, and she feels betrayed.
DIANE OLBERDING: These two guys here don't change their convictions. You know, talk is cheap, and we all know Mr. - President Trump loves to talk. But he needs to continue what he was voted in on - MAGA.
SIMON: Now, of course, President Trump has won Kentucky three elections in a row by double-digit margins. In fact, his highest percentage was in 2024. How big of a challenge could Massie face in his reelection campaign?
GRISALES: Well, it's unusual to launch a campaign for a congressional seat more than a year out this aggressively and with this level of spending, all for a primary race in a solidly red district. Massie thinks it's the most ever spent on a congressional race this early on. And the war chest amassed against him, which has been fueled by the president - Massie says it's raised millions. He also has repeatedly referenced these television ads that are already airing in those markets, accusing Massie of flag burning, which he said was a complete lie. But we should note Massie ran unopposed in 2024, so it will be hard to find a candidate who will be strong enough and have that kind of name ID to turn away voters from Massie.
SIMON: NPR's Claudia Grisales, thanks so much.
GRISALES: Thank you.
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SIMON: This is NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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