The Trump-Massie feud goes to a new level: From the Politics Desk

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Welcome to the online mentation of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and investigation from the White House, Capitol Hill and the run trail.

In today’s edition, Scott Bland dives into President Donald Trump’s escalating attacks connected Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican lawmaker who has proven to beryllium a accordant thorn successful his side. Plus, we person the latest from the Middle East arsenic Trump announces a ceasefire statement betwixt Israel and Iran.

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— Adam Wollner

Trump takes his feud with GOP Rep. Thomas Massie to a caller level

By Scott Bland

Rep. Thomas Massie has been an intraparty irritant to Donald Trump for years, but ne'er to the constituent that the president decided to really effort to squash the Kentucky Republican successful a primary. Until now.

Two of Trump’s apical governmental advisers are launching a ace PAC dedicated to opposing Massie successful his 2026 primary, aft Massie’s disapproval of the Trump-ordered U.S. strikes successful Iran this weekend. Trump and Massie person besides been trading barbs connected societal media implicit the past 48 hours, with Trump posting connected Truth Social, “GET THIS “BUM” OUT OF OFFICE, ASAP!!!,” and Massie saying connected X that the president’s actions are not “American First.”

But the enactment of the caller governmental radical is simply a measurement further than Trump has ever gone contempt past annoyance with Massie, often a lonely, libertarian-inspired “no” ballot adjacent erstwhile astir of the House GOP is supporting thing — similar past month’s ballot to beforehand Trump’s taxation and spending package.

It’s acceptable to beryllium 1 of adjacent year’s aboriginal tests of Trump’s grip connected the Republican Party, the powerfulness of the governmental warfare thorax helium continues to accumulate contempt being term-limited, and the quality of remaining holdouts against his top-down mentation of the GOP to support immoderate traction locally.

Before this predetermination cycle, Massie had courted Trump’s ire connected respective different high-profile occasions, including an aboriginal Covid alleviation effort successful 2020, erstwhile Trump called him a “third complaint Grandstander” connected societal media.

Massie was 1 of a fistful of House Republicans who endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president implicit Trump successful the 2024 primary, too. Once again, Trump’s choler implicit that stopped abbreviated of an existent endorsement for a superior opponent.

Now, though, it seems that the president’s annoyance is going to travel down connected Massie on with his wealth and possibly adjacent that almighty endorsement, if Team Trump tin find a credible challenger this clip around. Massie is utilizing Trump’s absorption arsenic a fundraising accidental of his own, but it’s not going to measurement up to immoderate Trump tin air-drop into Kentucky against him.

As Jonathan Allen points out, Trump has targeted Republican incumbents successful primaries before. Most notably, successful the 2022 predetermination rhythm helium sought to unseat GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach him aft the Jan. 6, 2021, onslaught connected the U.S. Capitol. Ultimately, 8 of the 10 House Republicans mislaid their primaries oregon declined to question re-election.

And past year, Trump backed John McGuire’s successful superior challenge to Virginia’s Bob Good, who was the seat of the House Freedom Caucus astatine the time.

Trump announces ceasefire statement betwixt Israel and Iran

President Donald Trump announced connected Truth Social this evening that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire.

“CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! It has been afloat agreed by and betwixt Israel and Iran that determination volition beryllium a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in astir 6 hours from now, erstwhile Israel and Iran person coiled down and completed their successful progress, last missions!), for 12 hours, astatine which constituent the War volition beryllium considered, ENDED!,” Trump wrote.

The announcement came hours aft Iran launched a rocket onslaught against Al Udeid Air Base successful Qatar, which stations thousands of U.S. troops, successful retaliation for the U.S. bombing its atomic sites implicit the weekend.

Trump had said that nary Americans were harmed and that “hardly immoderate harm was done.” He added that Iran gave “early notice” of the attack.

Catch up connected our latest reporting connected the struggle successful the Middle East:

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