Thomas Massie has long portrayed himself as an unflinching fiscal hawk in Congress, willing to publicly tangle with President Donald Trump on everything from spending bills to foreign aid to the release of records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
But over the next five months, Trump’s allies will project a different image of the Kentucky Republican as they seek to convince voters in his deep red 4th District that their congressman’s vaunted independent streak has curdled into deep hostility that jeopardizes the Trump agenda.
Leading the charge will be Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL officer who has the president’s blessing as he challenges Massie in the Republican primary.
