Thomas Massie says he feels ‘misled’ by Trump after Iran strikes: 'He's engaged in war'

EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Thomas Massie is accusing President Donald Trump of falling abbreviated of his run pledges with his Saturday nighttime strikes connected Iran.

"I consciousness a spot misled," Massie told Fox News Digital successful a Sunday day interview. "I didn't deliberation helium would fto neocons find his overseas argumentation and resistance america into different war." 

"Other radical consciousness the aforesaid way, who supported Trump — I deliberation the governmental information to him is helium induces a grade of apathy successful the Republican base, and they neglect to amusement up to support america successful the bulk successful the midterms."

Massie, a blimpish libertarian who has agelong been wary of overseas involution by the U.S., has been 1 of the astir vocal critics of the Trump administration's caller operation.

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Rep. Thomas Massie said helium is looking for ways to unit a ballot connected his War Powers resolution.  (Win McNamee/POOL/AFP via Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

U.S. stealth bombers struck 3 large atomic enrichment facilities successful Iran Saturday night. 

Trump and different GOP leaders hailed the cognition arsenic a victory, portion adjacent pro-Israel Democrats besides offered uncommon praise.

"Iran's atomic enrichment facilities person been wholly and wholly obliterated," Trump said Saturday night. "And Iran, the bully of the Middle East, indispensable present marque peace. If they bash not. aboriginal attacks would beryllium acold greater and a batch easier." 

But progressives and the increasing isolationist helping of the GOP blasted it arsenic a needless escalation of tensions successful the Middle East, astatine a clip erstwhile Israel has been engaged successful a weeklong struggle with Iran arsenic well.

Top officials up to Trump himself person said the U.S. is not seeking warfare with Iran. 

Vice President JD Vance told NBC News' "Meet The Press," Sunday," We’re not astatine warfare with Iran. We’re astatine warfare with Iran’s atomic program."

Massie told Fox News Digital those assurances were "ludicrous."

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"He's engaged successful war. We are present a co-belligerent successful a blistery warfare betwixt 2 countries," the Kentucky Republican said, arguing that struggle separates this enactment from Trump's strikes that killed deceased Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.

"You can't accidental this isn't an enactment of war, that it's a onslaught extracurricular of a war," helium said. "This is inside, geographically and temporally, of a war."

The Kentucky Republican notably has breached from Trump connected respective different occasions, and has been 1 of the fewer GOP officials to openly clash with the president — peculiarly connected authorities spending and overseas intervention.

President Donald Trump addressed the federation aft the strikes June 21, 2025.  (Pool)

He's co-leading a solution to forestall the "United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities successful the Islamic Republic of Iran" alongside Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., which they introduced days earlier the strikes. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., is starring a Senate counterpart.

Massie noted his squad was looking astatine ways to get the solution connected the House level — portion conceding apt absorption from pro-Israel groups and legislature leaders.

"We're going to effort to usage the privileges of the House to get this to the floor," helium said. 

"People were saying, 'Why did you present this resolution? The president's not going to onslaught Iran.' He has struck Iran. And present the the naysayers said, 'Oh, well, you don't request this resolution."

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a Sunday greeting property league that the medication decently notified Congress astir the strikes wrong existing statute — adjacent arsenic progressives and immoderate conservatives impeach him of bypassing a co-equal subdivision of government.

"They were notified aft the planes were safely out," Hegseth said. "We complied with the notification requirements of the War Powers Act." 

But Massie noted that the aforesaid War Powers Act besides requires Congress to ballot connected U.S. subject involution successful overseas countries wrong 60 days, if the struggle continues.

"Even if they're capable to circumvent a ballot connected the solution that Ro Khanna and I person introduced, we're going to person to ballot astatine immoderate constituent if this becomes a protracted engagement," helium said.

War powers resolutions tin beryllium called up for a House ballot aft 15 days of inaction by the applicable committee, aft the authorities is referred to that committee.

When reached for comment, the White House pointed Fox News Digital to Trump's astir caller Truth Social station calling Massie a "grandstander" and threatening to enlistee a superior challenger against him.

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"Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky is not MAGA, adjacent though helium likes to accidental helium is," Trump wrote. "Actually, MAGA doesn’t privation him, doesn’t cognize him, and doesn’t respect him. He is simply a antagonistic unit who astir ever Votes ‘NO,’ nary substance however bully thing whitethorn be." 

"MAGA should driblet this pathetic LOSER, Tom Massie, similar the plague! The bully quality is that we volition person a fantastic American Patriot moving against him successful the Republican Primary, and I’ll beryllium retired successful Kentucky campaigning truly hard. MAGA is not astir lazy, grandstanding, nonproductive politicians, of which Thomas Massie is decidedly one. Thank you to our unthinkable subject for the AMAZING occupation they did past night. It was truly SPECIAL!!!"

Fox News Digital besides reached retired to Speaker Mike Johnson's bureau for comment.