Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said in an interview Sunday that he fears facing backlash from former President Trump for supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) campaign against him. He said he had not.
Massey, a DeSantis campaign representative, told “Fox News Sunday” host Shannon Bream whether he was worried about “the price he might pay” for supporting DeSantis over Trump. “I have Trump antibodies,” he said when asked.
Massey pointed to opposition to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law under the Trump administration on March 27, 2020, to aid in the early recovery from the pandemic. Massey said he is less afraid now because of the attack he received from President Trump at the time.
“He attacked me for opposing the CARES Act. I was the only member of Congress to do so. I said it would cause inflation, it would cause shortages. Oh, and by the way, the company said that it would cause mail-in voting. We funded it and spent $2 trillion,” Massey said. “Compare that to Ron DeSantis. Everyone hates me, including that president, and he calls me and says, 'We're going to restart the economy and make sure our kids go to school.' said.”
“Now that Trump is coming at me and I won re-election, I'm not worried about that. But I don't think a lot of those endorsements are sincere endorsements,” Massey said. That's from Republican politicians across the ideological spectrum who have mentioned Trump's recent support.
Massey said other members may be supporting Trump out of fear of retaliation if he wins.
“They're afraid he'll get dragged into the primary, or they're afraid he'll get revenge if he wins,” Massey said. “Ron DeSantis can work with anybody. So there's no expectation of vindication from him after he wins, so that's — you know, that's the way it is.”
“This is a type of bullying tactic from the former president,” Massey added.
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