Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) fired back on Thursday after Vice President Vance defended President Trump for repeatedly targeting the independent-minded congressman and backing a challenger to his reelection bid.
“When leaders of my own party protect sex traffickers, spend our grandkids into oblivion, fund endless wars, lockdown our citizens, bailout corporations, bow to other countries, and hurt small farmers…,” Massie wrote early Thursday on the social platform X, appearing to address the vice president’s remarks.
“…it’s true that I won’t be their yes man,” he continued.
Vance addressed thousands of students at the University of Mississippi on Wednesday as part of a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) tour. Vance fielded numerous questions from attendees, in a nod to the late TPUSA co-founder Charlie Kirk, who held similar “Prove Me Wrong” events on college campuses.
The final question of the event addressed Trump’s primary endorsement against Massie, who has bucked his party on numerous issues, including calling for the release of the full Jeffrey Epstein files and voting against Trump’s signature tax and spending bill earlier this year.
The student noted the endorsement and asked: “How would you address those who fear that principled disagreement or independent thinking is discouraged within the party because of how it can be framed as a betrayal, instead of as internal accountability or an opportunity for debate and negotiation?”
Vance thanked the student for her question, responding “this one is hard for me” because of his extensive relationship with Massie. He said Massie was one of the first people to reach out to him about running for political office, and the vice president said he tried to return the favor, when Massie’s wife died in recent years.
“She died very unexpectedly, was a very sweet and kind woman, and I was probably one of the first people that called Thomas to offer my condolences,” he said.
Ultimately, Vance said, Massie has bucked the party on so many high-profile issues that the party can no longer rely on him.
“Being independent, having your own opinions, is one thing,” Vance said. “Voting against the party on every single issue — you’re eventually going to make too many enemies, and that is the problem that Thomas has had.”
“It’s not one issue. It’s not three or four issues. It’s that every time that we’ve needed Thomas for a vote, he has been completely unwilling to provide it,” he continued.
Vance defended the president, saying loyalty in politics is a two-way street.
“That is why the President United States has trained his ire on Thomas Massie. It’s because we can never count on him for some of the most difficult votes,” Vance said. “I wish that that weren’t the case. I say that as somebody who’s known Thomas well before I got into politics.”
“But politics is politics,” he continued, “and when you always vote against the party, you can’t expect the party to actually back you. That’s the reality.”
