The relationship between President Donald Trump and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has long been a stormy one, marked by ideological clashes and pointed social media barbs. But in November 2025, their exchanges escalated into a full-blown public feud, centering on the release of long-withheld Jeffrey Epstein files—a promise Trump made during his campaign but struggled to deliver once in office. What began as policy disagreement has spilled into personal territory, with Trump mocking Massie’s recent remarriage and Massie responding with a mix of sharp wit and principled defiance. The back-and-forth has exposed deepening fractures within the Republican Party, pitting populist loyalty against demands for transparency and fiscal restraint.
The Spark: Epstein Files and a Broken Campaign Promise
The core of the conflict traces back to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender whose 2019 death in federal custody left a trail of unanswered questions about his elite network. During his 2024 campaign, Trump pledged to declassify Epstein-related documents, framing it as part of his “drain the swamp” agenda to expose corruption among the powerful. True to his word, the administration released some files early in 2025, but they were largely materials already leaked to right-wing influencers—hardly the full transparency voters expected. By summer, Attorney General Pam Bondi declared no more documents existed, a claim that fueled bipartisan outrage.
Enter Massie, a libertarian-leaning engineer and MIT graduate who has represented Kentucky’s 4th District since 2012. Known for his contrarian votes against party-line spending bills and foreign aid, Massie teamed up with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) in early 2025 to launch a discharge petition. This procedural maneuver bypassed GOP leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson, to force a House vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The bill aimed to compel the Justice Department to release all remaining files, including FBI victim interviews shielded by prior laws.
Massie’s effort gained unlikely allies, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), both Trump favorites turned critics over the issue. On November 12, the petition secured its 218th signature from Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), triggering a floor vote. The House passed it 427-1 on November 18, with Massie casting the lone “no” as a procedural protest against the rushed timeline. The Senate followed suit the next day, and Trump signed it into law as Public Law 119-38 on November 19—ironically, the 38th bill of his second term.
Behind the scenes, however, the pushback was fierce. Massie revealed in interviews that Trump and top officials privately opposed the release, fearing it would “hurt his friends in West Palm Beach.” Newly released emails from Epstein’s estate, handed over by the House Oversight Committee, mentioned Trump multiple times, alongside Bill Clinton and other figures, intensifying the scrutiny. Massie dismissed the administration’s sudden announcement of a DOJ probe into Epstein’s Democratic ties as a “big smokescreen” to delay full disclosure.
Trump, who once socialized with Epstein in the 1990s before publicly disavowing him, reversed course over the weekend before the vote, urging Republicans to support the bill. But the damage was done: the feud had turned personal.
From Policy to Pettiness: Trump’s Attacks and Massie’s Retorts
Trump’s social media salvos began in earnest last month, repeatedly dubbing Massie “Rand Paul Jr.”—a nod to the Kentucky senator’s son, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), another Trump critic and Massie ally. In a November 24 Truth Social post, Trump lumped Massie, Paul, and Greene together as “lowlifes” and “traitors,” claiming the GOP had “never been so united” despite their dissent. He accused Massie of refusing to back “MAGA or America First,” tying it to votes against spending bills and foreign policy moves like 2025 Iran strikes, which Massie called unconstitutional without congressional approval.
The barbs grew uglier on November 14, when Trump mocked Massie’s October 2025 marriage to Carolyn Grace Moffa, a former staffer for Sen. Paul. Moffa, whom Massie had known for a decade, became his partner after the sudden death of his first wife, Rhonda—his high school sweetheart of 31 years—in June 2024 from respiratory complications tied to an autoimmune condition. Trump posted: “Did Thomas Massie, sometimes referred to as Rand Paul Jr…. get married already??? Boy, that was quick! … His wife will soon find out that she’s stuck with a LOSER!”
The remark drew backlash even from MAGA circles. “Below the belt,” one supporter tweeted, while another called it “cruel, childish, and embarrassing.” Smokahontas, a prominent conservative voice, wrote: “Targeting a man who endured the most profound heartbreak imaginable… is not strength. It is insecurity.” Trump, married three times himself, has a history of such jabs—recall his 2020 feud with the late Sen. John McCain—but this one struck a raw nerve amid Massie’s grief.
Massie, ever the quick-witted responder, addressed the marriage taunt on ABC’s This Week on November 17. “We’re taking it with a grain of salt,” he said. “He’s being a bully or trying to be a bully.” He added a quip from his new wife: “I told you so—we should have invited Donald Trump. He’s mad that he didn’t get an invitation.” On X, Massie has developed what he calls “Trump antibodies,” joking that the president’s frequent posts about him—five in ten days by late November—mean he’s “not paying any rent to live there.” He even punned on the “Rand Paul Jr.” nickname: “The name is Ron Paul, Jr.—Rand and I were mixed up at the hospital.”
Hours after Trump’s November 24 “lowlifes” post, Massie highlighted the irony on X: Trump had just signed his bill into law, fulfilling the campaign promise Massie fought to enforce. “He got tired of me winning,” Massie quipped in a Politico interview, crediting his coalition-building for outmaneuvering the White House.
Broader Fault Lines: From Israel to Fiscal Hawks
The Epstein saga is just one thread in a tapestry of tensions. Massie has clashed with Trump over foreign policy, criticizing unchecked aid to Israel and Ukraine as unconstitutional. In October 2025, he amplified a video of Trump asking casino magnate Miriam Adelson—a major donor who poured millions into his campaign and now funds ads against Massie—”What do you love more, the United States or Israel?” Her non-answer, Massie argued, exposed donor influence over policy. Adelson’s involvement ties into Trump’s endorsement of Massie’s primary challenger, retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, signaling a machine-backed effort to oust him in 2026.
Domestically, Massie champions Trump’s rhetoric on cutting waste—pushing HR 899 to abolish the Department of Education and opposing a Brazilian meatpacker’s $5 million inaugural donation amid unlabeled beef imports. Yet he votes against omnibus bills, earning “RINO” labels from Trump allies like House GOP campaign chief Richard Hudson, who said Massie is “deciding his own fate.”
Sen. Paul, pledging to campaign for Massie, embodies this libertarian streak. At a September 24 forum in Maysville, Ky., Massie rebranded “America First” as “America Only,” advocating isolationism over global entanglements. Trump, claiming he won Kentucky in three “massive landslides,” sees such independence as betrayal.
Reactions and Ripples: A Divided GOP Base
The feud has ignited X, with MAGA die-hards defending Trump—”Massie tweeted about Epstein twice under Biden, now it’s his life’s work,” one wrote—while others decry the pettiness. Conservative commentator Cernovich called it a “pointless fight,” noting Trump lost the tactical battle to lobbyists tied to the files. Polls show Massie entering October with $2 million in campaign funds, his best yet, buoyed by grassroots support for his transparency push.
Greene’s parallel spat—quitting Congress mid-term after Trump revoked her endorsement—has amplified the chaos, with Trump calling her a “raging lunatic.” Even Alex Jones urged Trump to “stop attacking your best supporters—like MTG,” warning of midterm threats.
As 2026 primaries near, this isn’t just banter—it’s a test of Trump’s grip on the base. Massie, unbowed, told reporters: “Embarrassment is no reason to protect predators.” Trump, ever the fighter, shows no signs of relenting. In a party craving unity, their exchanges underscore a stark truth: the road to “America First” is paved with as many betrayals as victories.
