Thomas Massie

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

“The last year has not made America great again. The last year has diminished American power at a rate some of us thought was unimaginable. We couldn’t have foreseen, less than a year and a half ago… the damage that this administration – led by that president, for whom we campaigned and liked personally – could do to this country,” Carlson added.

Tangent

On his show, Carlson also attacked billionaire GOP donors Miriam Adelson, Paul Singer and John Paulson for financially backing Massie’s primary opponent and claimed this was a result of the Kentucky Congressman’s opposition to U.S. military aid for Israel. He claimed: “They colluded in effect to destroy Thomas Massie…Trump colluded with three of his donors, including his biggest, Miriam Adelson, to destroy Thomas Massie, and to end his career in Congress by beating him in the Republican primary.” Earlier this month, Carlson accused Adelson and billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch of pushing Trump into the Iran war.

Key Background

Carlson has been among a group of prominent right-wing MAGA figures who have publicly split with Trump over various issues, including the handling of the Epstein files and the ongoing war in Iran. On his podcast last month, Carlson said he would be “tormented” by his support for Trump for a “long time.” At the time, the former Fox host said, “And I want to say I’m sorry for misleading people. It was not intentional, that’s all I’ll say.” The right-wing pundit was joined by his brother and Trump’s former speechwriter, Buckley Carlson, on the podcast and told him: “You and I and everyone else who supported him – you wrote speeches for him, I campaigned for him – I mean, we’re implicated in this for sure.”

How Has Trump Responded To Carlson’s Criticism?