Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) pushed back Thursday after Vice President Vance defended President Trump for criticizing him and endorsing a challenger in his reelection race.
“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… It’s true that I won’t be their yes man,” Massie wrote early Thursday on the social platform X, appearing to address the Vance’s remarks.
Vice President Vance spoke to thousands at the University of Mississippi on Wednesday during a Turning Point USA tour, taking student questions in tribute to the late Charlie Kirk and his “Prove Me Wrong” campus events. The final question focused on Trump’s endorsement of a primary challenger to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who has defied his party by honing in on the release of the Epstein files and voting against Trump’s tax and spending bill earlier this year.
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…
…it’s true that I won’t be their yes man.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) October 30, 2025
Acknowledging the president’s endorsement of Massie’s rival, the student 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 the question, admitting, “this one is hard for me,” given his close relationship with Massie. He said Massie was one of the first to encourage him to run for office, and that he tried to support Massie after his wife’s passing 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.
However, Vance said Massie has broken with the party on so many key issues that he’s no longer considered a reliable ally.
“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.”
Vance defended President Trump, explaining that 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. 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 and when you always vote against the party, you can’t expect the party to actually back you. That’s the reality.”
