In a new ad, Massie sought to temper the momentum Gallrein might ride from the president’s backing. The Kentucky congressman told voters he and Trump share more in common than the president believes, while branding himself as “one of the few Republicans in Washington who stands up to every president.”

Massie suggested reducing the debt, not single-mindedly endorsing all of Trump’s agenda, would remain his top priority, with his positioning coming after he was one of only two House Republicans to vote against Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year, on the grounds that it raised the national debt. 

“Look the truth. I agree with President Trump nearly all of the time. It’s why in the past, I’ve endorsed him, and he’s endorsed me,” Massie said. “But the other truth is, I’m one of the few Republicans in Washington who stands up to every president, including President Trump, when it comes to these big government spending bills. The national debt is now $108,000 for every single American. I’m Thomas Massie, and I approve this message, because reducing that debt always has been and always will be my top priority, period.”

Massie made a similar argument last week. 

“People support Trump, but they also support what he campaigned on,” he told NBC News. “When people support me, they’re supporting the things that Donald Trump campaigned on actually getting done. And when they support Donald Trump, they’re supporting the man they voted for in the last election.”

Trump endorsed Massie’s reelection campaign in 2022, two years after the president denounced the lawmaker’s 2020 bid for opposing a sweeping COVID-10 pandemic relief bill pushed by the White House. 

In addition to more recent squabbles over whether the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act was fiscally irresponsible, Massie and Trump have bickered over the extent of executive powers used in foreign conflicts. Massie, a foreign policy hawk, characterizes the more isolationist-leaning fringe of the GOP and has opposed Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela and Iran. 

Massie has also set himself at odds with large swaths of the GOP over his criticism of Israel and questioning of U.S. Jews. On Sunday, Massie attacked several Jewish U.S. citizens, as well as the Republican Jewish Coalition, for donating funds to Gallrein’s campaign, suggesting his opponent is being targeted by “Israel interests.” 

IRAN WAR GIVES MASSIE A PRIMARY OPENING AS TRUMP DROPS INTO HIS DISTRICT

Last week, Massie was swift to rise to the defense of Caroline Prejean Boller, a member of Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission who recently suggested she was fired from the position due to her anti-Zionist views, a position considered by many to be antisemitic. Zionism is the belief that the Jewish people have the right to a homeland. Boller has said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is carrying out an “extermination campaign” in Gaza. She is allied with Candace Owens, an influencer in conservative circles who has spread conspiracy theories about Jews.

Massie said Boller was “reportedly removed for making statements that mirror remarks from the Pope” and announced he is requesting a congressional review into Boller being terminated.