Trump vs. Massie: Liberty Index Highlights Divide Over ‘America First’

Ahead of a visit to Hebron, Kentucky this week, President Donald Trump is predicting that Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) will lose his Congressional re-election bid.

President Donald Trump issued a statement over Truth Social criticizing Rep. Massie, but a recent Republican Liberty Caucus index indicates clashing perspectives on “America First.”

“I predict that ‘Representative’ Thomas Massie will go down as the WORST Republican Congressman in the long and fabled history of the United States Congress, even worse than Crazy Liz Chaney [sic], Crying’ Adam Kinzinger, and Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Brown (Remember, Green turns to Brown under stress!),” the president wrote on Truth Social. “They are all misfits and losers, but Massie, who is running against a great American Patriot in the Kentucky Primary, will hopefully lose BIG.”

Rep. Massie, who has led a charge against the president regarding the release of the Epstein Files, may be near the top of President Trump’s least favorite members of Congress. However, the Republican Liberty Caucus ranks him as the “Top Defender of Liberty” in 2026, awarding him a score of 101.

Former Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who has also recently been the target of President Trump’s criticism, appears on the list with a score of 85.

Other “Top Defenders” include Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) with a score of 77; Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) with a score of 74; and Reps. Eli Crane (R-AZ), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), and Andy Biggs (R-AZ) who received scores of 74, 72, and 71 respectively.

Among the lowest-scoring Republicans were Reps. Randy Fine (R-FL), Jimmy Patronis (R-FL), and Laurel Lee (R-FL) who received scores of 36, 36, and 37 respectively.

According to the 2026 Liberty Index, published in late January, the evaluations were based on the lawmakers’ votes from 2025.

The votes examined concerned issues such as “individual liberty, limited government, free markets, fiscal responsibility, and an America First, non-interventionist foreign policy.”

Despite Republicans holding a majority in the House, the 2026 Liberty Index reported that “this year’s results were grim for most House Republicans.” The report also comes at a time when Republicans face challenges on the national stage, with some pundits warning that the GOP could lose its majority in the upcoming election.

President Trump is scheduled to visit Hebron, Kentucky, this week, where he will promote farmer and former Navy Seal Ed Gallrein, who is trying to unseat Rep. Massie.

Gallrein has received criticism for his past views about President Trump. He reportedly left the Republican Party in 2016 after President Trump won the primary, registering as an Independent.

In a phone interview with NBC News, Rep. Massie commented on his race, saying, “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.”