On Friday, President Trump gave his backing to a potential contender against Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who has been at odds with the Republican Party in recent months.

Trump expressed his full support for Ed Gallrein as a candidate in Kentucky’s 2026 GOP primary race.

“I hope Ed joins the Race against Massie, who is currently polling at around 9% because the People of Kentucky have seen through him—he consistently votes against the Republican Party, making things very easy for the Radical Left,” Trump stated in a post on Truth Social on Friday.

He further criticized Massie, calling him a “lightweight” and an “ineffective LOSER,” while praising “CAPTAIN ED GALLREIN” as a “WINNER WHO WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN.”

As of now, Gallrein has not officially declared his candidacy for the congressional seat in Kentucky, following an unsuccessful bid for the state senate late last year.

Still, Trump said, “should he decide to challenge Massie, Captain Ed Gallrein has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”

A campaign spokesperson ripped Gallrein and Trump’s endorsement in a statement to The Hill.

“After having been rejected by every elected official in the 4th District, Trump’s consultants clearly pushed the panic button with their choice of failed candidate and establishment hack Ed Gallrein,” a campaign spokesperson said. “Ed’s been begging them to pick him for over three months now.”

Massie has bucked Trump and Republican congressional leaders on several policy issues, including this summer’s tax package.

The Kentucky Republican has also been a central figure in debate on Capitol Hill about the Jeffrey Epstein case. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Massie sponsored a bipartisan discharge petition to force a vote on the relese of files related to the late sex offender’s case. Many Republicans have disapproved of the push.

Trump’s criticism of Massie has been used by the lawmaker’s campaign to bolster his fundraising efforts.

He has managed to pull in record funds, with more than $2 million in cash on hand for his reelection bid after earning $768,000 in contributions from July to September, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.

His campaign team quickly clapped back to Trump’s Friday post with another opportunity for his supporters to fuel Massie’s push to continue representing the Blue Grass State. 

“Trump just endorsed someone to run against me. I can beat this candidate if I have your support. We just posted our best fundraising quarter ever. Can you help me top it?” his campaign wrote in a post on the social media platform X.

Massie’s campaign website say he has the most conservative lifetime rating of any Kentucky congressman from Freedomworks, the American Conservative Union, Club for Growth, Gun Owners of America and the National Taxpayers Union, which are lobbying groups.