Trump touts polling showing challenger defeating 'bad guy' Thomas Massie

The president has expressed his frustrations with the budget hawk and called for his ouster, largely due to his refusal to support the "Big, Beautiful Bill."

By Ben Whedon

Published: July 1, 2025 1:34pm

President Donald Trump on Tuesday touted polling data suggesting that a candidate he endorsed would defeat Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in a Republican primary.

"New poll: Anybody I Endorse beats Thomas Massie of Kentucky by 25 points. Get ready. Massie is a very bad guy!" he posted on Truth Social.

The president has expressed his frustrations with the budget hawk and called for his ouster, largely due to his refusal to support the "Big, Beautiful Bill."

Trump did not cite the poll, though he appeared to reference a Kaplan Strategies survey released this week, showing Massie trailing Nicole Lee Ethington, a registered nurse who has challenged him.

In that survey, Ethington led Massie 31% to 19%, though half the respondents were undecided. Notably, Trump enjoyed 89% favorability among Republicans, compared to 23% for Massie.

The survey questioned 368 like Republican primary voters and has a margin of error of +/- 5.1%.