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It's no secret that President Trump is not a fan of Kentucky Republican Congressman Thomas Massie. Massie opposed Trump's signature tax cuts and federal spending bill. He's also been outspoken about war powers resting with Congress, and he was a key Republican voice in the release of the Epstein files. So Trump is backing another relatively unknown Republican candidate in the primary election for Massie's seat. Justin Hicks from Kentucky Public Radio has this story.
JUSTIN HICKS, BYLINE: It's a stormy spring day in Hebron, Kentucky, and despite torrential rain and a tornado watch, hundreds of people have been standing in line for hours. Among them are locals Janice Sewell and her brother Joel, who can't wait to see President Trump. Days out of a throat surgery, Joel's voice is a little hoarse, but he says he wouldn't miss it for the world.
JOEL: I love it. I will vote for him if he ran for dogcatcher. I don't care. He's the man. He's for America.
HICKS: Now, Joel and Janice are die-hard Trump supporters. They say they'll probably cast their vote for or against pretty much whoever he tells them to. But here in northern Kentucky, Trump's handpicked candidate for Congress isn't exactly a household name yet.
JANICE SEWELL: Now, President Trump is supporting - is endorsing Ed Gallerin (ph), I think his name is. And so that's who I'm going to be voting for.
HICKS: It's actually pronounced Ed Gallrein, but Gallrein doesn't have a lot of name ID yet, unlike his opponent, seven-term congressman Thomas Massie, who's very publicly been a thorn in Trump's side. Massie's been an opposition voice since Trump's first term, and Massie hasn't compromised any more in Trump's second term. Here's Jose Vasquez (ph), who summed up how Trump supporters like him are feeling about Massie.
JOSE VASQUEZ: We want to get Massie out of there, and we want to support Ed Gallrin (ph).
HICKS: So who is Ed Gallrein? He's a retired officer in the Navy Seals and a self-described farmer with family roots in Kentucky. Listed on his legislative priorities are pretty standard conservative talking points - lower taxes, more jobs, ending DEI and abortion. But Gallrein's background was attractive to Trump, or at the very least, he just isn't Massie.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: He's like Central Casting. I said, this is the guy I'm looking - I wanted to - I want to just - give me somebody with a warm body to beat Massie. And I got somebody with a warm body but a big, beautiful brain. And a great patriot. He's unbelievable.
HICKS: The crowd waved freshly supplied Gallrein signs while Trump called the candidate on stage. And once up there, Gallrein kind of bluntly thanked Trump for the help.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ED GALLREIN: I want to thank you for your endorsement, because once you did that, my support skyrocketed. So I look forward to serving to the people as their representative of Kentucky District 4.
HICKS: Just a few days before the rally, Massie appeared on a podcast where he said he was, quote, "in trouble" for the release of the Epstein files and questioning the war in Iran. He says wealthy donors with a stake in foreign conflicts are funding Gallrein, but he's still confident about his odds.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
THOMAS MASSIE: I can win this race if I'm outspent 2 to 1. When you got the truth on your side, you've got the high ground. So I've got the high ground. They're shooting up at me.
HICKS: And even after the rally, Massie stayed defiant. Massie's campaign directed Kentucky Public Radio to a post on X, which claimed that people from outside the political district were bussed in to fill the rally and referenced political betting websites with odds in Massie's favor. Ultimately, only time will tell if Trump's endorsement will be enough to defeat Thomas Massie, who's seen a fundraising boost after Trump's attacks. Kentucky's primary is on May 19. For NPR News, I'm Justin Hicks in Hebron, Kentucky.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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