Massie Predicts GOP 'Shellacking' in November, Says Trump Is 'in Denial'

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is warning that Republicans are headed for a "shellacking" in November, predicting the midterm elections will deliver a stinging rebuke of President Trump.

Trump's approval rating is well underwater in every reputable poll. His second term has been marked by inflation driven by his tariffs and the war on Iran, which he launched in February.

One poll shows Democrats leading Republicans 51% to 43% on a generic congressional ballot. The GOP, which holds a narrow House majority, is widely expected to lose control of the lower chamber and could lose the Senate as well.

Signs of Republican unease have been mounting.

On Wednesday, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., who is facing a closer-than-expected race against Democrat Adam Hamilton, posted a message calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement to "coordinate with our local law enforcement" when operating in Kansas. The post raised eyebrows, since Republicans have generally offered full-throated support for the agency.

Several Republicans in competitive races have also put distance between themselves and the president. Among them is Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for governor of Florida. Once a vocal Trump supporter, Donalds has scrubbed references to Trump from his campaign website.

Massie, who lost his primary this cycle to Trump-backed Ed Gallrein, weighed in Thursday during an appearance on CNN's "The Source."

Host Kaitlan Collins asked the Kentucky Republican why GOP candidates are trying to separate themselves from Trump.
"Why do you think they're putting that daylight between them?" she asked.

"Because they have to find some way to get away from this president," Massie replied. "He's not out there campaigning for them. They don't want him in their districts. They've got to put space between them and him. And this is the price they're paying."

Massie pointed to his own history of breaking with the president.

"Look, I was the Republican who was speaking out for so long, and they were all, whatever Trump wants, they were all for it in their primaries," he said. "And now they're about to take a shellacking here in the general election. So, they're running from him on this and other issues like the [Iran] war."

Collins then asked whether Trump grasps the political reality facing his party.

"What do you think the president's response to that is going to be?" she asked. "Do you think he'll understand tough elections are coming up?"
Massie didn't hold back.

"No. If you look at his social media accounts just in the last few hours, he's unrepentant. He's in denial," he said. "Somebody in the White House needs to get through to him."

The congressman predicted Election Day will bring a reckoning for the president.

"I think his comeuppance will happen on election day. And the day after, I think there's gonna be a reckoning," Massie said.

He added that the key question will be how Trump responds once the results are in, pointing to a historical example from a previous Republican administration.
"And what we need to see is what he does after the day after this election. Does he send a message like George Bush did, firing his secretary of defense the day after the 2006 midterms, where Republicans took a shellacking?" Massie said. "We'll see if he does something like that and other measures to show that he got the message."