President Donald Trump’s political team has launched a political action committee (PAC) targeting Rep. Thomas Massie’s congressional seat in the 2026 election, marking a direct and assertive move against an incumbent Republican who publicly questioned the legality of the Iran strikes. The PAC, led by veteran Republican strategist Chris LaCivita and longtime Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio, represents the first time the Trump campaign has directly targeted an incumbent GOP member with a super PAC, signaling an expanded strategy to hold congressional Republicans accountable for opposition to Trump’s agenda.
Massie, a Kentucky Republican, emerged as a vocal critic of Trump’s use of military force against Iran, asserting that the strikes were unconstitutional. His public challenge to Trump’s authority, alongside Democratic allies, led to a public feud with the president, who labeled Massie a ‘grand,stander’ and threatened to primary him for his dissent. The political maneuvering highlights deepening divisions within the Republican Party over foreign policy and executive power, with Massie standing as one of the few lawmakers willing to openly oppose Trump’s decisions on Iran and national debt.
Massie’s dissent has broader implications for the Republican Party’s internal dynamics. As the president considers whether to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, Massie became the leading Republican voice willing to challenge Trump’s constitutional authority. When Trump announced successful strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday night, Massie was clear in his rebuttal, ‘This is not constitutional.’ By Sunday night, LaCivita confirmed the Axios report, responding on X, ‘Here’s the FO’ – a clear message to Massie and any Republican who undermines the president that Trump’s political arm is prepared to respond.
Massie, elected in 2012, has consistently defied Trump on major issues, including government spending and foreign intervention. Last week, he co-sponsored the War Powers Resolution with 48 Democrats, trying to prevent Trump from striking Iran without congressional approval. The resolution seeks to ‘remove United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Islamic State of Iran’ and directs Trump to ‘terminate’ the deployment of American troops against Iran without an ‘authorized declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military forces against Iran.’
When Trump announced the strikes, Massie and his Democratic co-sponsors, including Rep. Ro Khanna, were quick to criticize the president on social media and during a joint appearance on CBS News’ ‘Face the Nation.’ Massie told Fox News Digital in a Sunday afternoon interview, ‘I feel a bit misled. I didn’t think he would let neocons determine his foreign policy and drag us into another war.’ His comments reflect growing concerns among Republicans about the potential for executive overreach and the erosion of legislative checks on military action.
Trump’s response to Massie’s dissent was equally pointed. In a lengthy post on Truth Social, the president called Massie a ‘grandstander’ and claimed that MAGA (Make America Great Again) members were ‘not about lazy, grandstanding, nonproductive politicians, of which Thomas Massie is definitely one.’ The rhetoric underscores the increasing personalization of political battles within the GOP, where dissent from the president’s position is met with public attacks and threats of primary challenges.
Massie’s position on the Iran strikes and the War Powers Resolution has not gone unnoticed by his political base. Fundraising messages for his 2026 re-election campaign have included comments from Massie about Trump’s threats to primary him, indicating that the political stakes are high. The situation highlights the broader tensions within the Republican Party between a more traditional, establishment wing that supports Trump’s strong executive actions, and a faction of lawmakers who prioritize legislative checks and balance over unilateral presidential decisions.
The launch of the PAC by the Trump campaign represents a significant escalation in the political battle over Iran policy and executive authority. It also sets a precedent for how the administration will handle internal dissent within the party, potentially reshaping the dynamics of congressional leadership and the role of the president in foreign policy decisions. As the 2026 election approaches, the challenge to Massie will serve as a test case for how the Trump-aligned political apparatus will engage with dissenting Republicans.