Trump is declaring war on this 'rock-ribbed conservative' — but his district may have other ideas

When President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" came up for a full vote in the U.S. House of Representatives, not a single Democrat voted in favor of it. But only two House Republicans voted "no" in the end: Kentucky's Thomas Massie and Pennsylvania's Brian Fitzpatrick.

With the megabill having passed in both branches of Congress, Trump signed it into law over the 4th of July Weekend.

Massie and Fitzpatrick had different motivations for their "no" votes. While Massie is a budget hawk who believes the megabill adds too much to the United States' federal deficit, Fitzpatrick represents a swing district in the Philadelphia suburbs — and some political strategists believe that Fitzpatrick increased his chances of being reelected by opposing the bill's draconian Medicaid cuts.

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Trump is angrily raging against Massie and hopes that his MAGA operation will unseat him via a GOP primary the way it unseated former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming).

But according to Politico's Alex Keeney, Massie's very conservative district may be "contrarian" enough to defy Trump.

"Kentucky is famous for its bourbon, horses and college basketball," Keeney explains in an article published on July 9. "But in Rep. Thomas Massie's 4th Congressional District, there are a few other pillars to know about: Cincinnati chili, served over spaghetti with Greek spices; a life-size Noah's Ark; and a political culture that, in the words of Northern Kentucky's political class, is a good fit for Massie's libertarian conservatism — even if it means facing the wrath of President Donald Trump."

Kentucky State Rep. TJ Roberts, a Republican and Massie ally, doesn't think that the lawmaker would automatically lose a GOP primary simply because Trump demands it.

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Roberts told Politico, "Yes, we're conservatives, but we also have independent thinking. We have a consistent track record of having a very different taste, especially when we talk about foreign affairs…. I'm just going to keep supporting Donald Trump and Thomas Massie, and hope they can come to a resolution. Because I think we need the two working together very badly. Both have a constituency that represents the future of the GOP in America.” "

Keeney notes that Massie isn't the only Kentucky Republican who has opposed Trump's policies at times.

"Massie's rebelliousness was hardly the type of behavior you'd expect from a rock-ribbed conservative representing a state that delivered Trump a 30-point margin," the Politico reporter observes. "Or was it? Kentucky Republicans have been needling Trump like it's a part-time job ever since his return to the White House — from Sen. Mitch McConnell's long feud with Trump, to Sen. Rand Paul's vote against the 'big, beautiful bill' and support for a Democrat-led measure to end Trump's tariffs on Canada."

Keeney continues, "Still, it's one thing for a senator to put pressure on his party's president. It's riskier for a Republican House member to invite a Trump-backed primary challenge, as Massie has. He has drawn so much ire that Trump's political machine dispatched MAGA campaign stars Chris LaCivita and Tony Fabrizio to find a suitable candidate to take him down."

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Read Alex Keeney's full article for Politico at this link.