On Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said President Donald Trump’s criticism helps his fundraising, which will lead to him winning the primary.
Partial transcript as follows:
STEPHANOPOULOS: You’re facing a primary on Tuesday. In the wake of Senator Bill Cassidy’s loss in the primaries yesterday in Louisiana, the president has been up posting on Truth Social throughout the night and into the morning about you. Just a few minutes ago, he posted this — I want to show our viewers right now — “Bad Congressman Tom Massie voted against tax cuts, the border wall, our military enforcement. Actually, he voted against almost everything that is good. The worst congressman in history. Kentucky, vote the bum out on Tuesday. We can’t live with this troublemaker for another two years. He’s a true negative force.” Your response?
MASSIE: Well, I think that’s going to help my fundraising at thomasmassie.com. Every time he tweets about me, it’s good for, you know, some money coming in because people don’t like that. And, you know, how did this race become the most expensive race in the history of Congress for a primary? It’s because three billionaires from outside of Kentucky have funneled millions of dollars in here. They’re trying to buy a seat. And so, it’s not just the president’s tweets. I could sustain those without a problem. It’s because Miriam Adelson and Paul Singer have dumped money in here. In fact, Miriam Adelson has given so much money to my opponent that instead of paying for the ballroom they’re going to need taxpayer money for the ballroom now.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, you — and you’ve actually said this week that this — that your vote is a referendum on whether Israel gets to buy seats in Congress. What did you mean by that?
MASSIE: Well, the RJC, AIPAC and Miriam Adelson and Paul Singer, they’re all part of the Israeli lobby. And that’s where all the money comes from. And it will be a referendum on foreign policy, whether Israel gets to dictate that by, you know, bullying members of Congress. And I’m the one they haven’t been able to bully. So, they’re putting all the brunt, the force on me. But you can tell that I’m ahead in the polls and they’re desperate. That’s why they’re sending the secretary of war to my district tomorrow. That’s why the president’s losing sleep and tweeting about this. That’s why AIPAC has dumped another $3 million into my race this weekend, is because they’re panicked, and they really haven’t been able to gain a lead in this race.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You say the president is desperate, but he’s got a pretty good record of defeating people he wants to target in Republican primaries. We saw Bill Cassidy yesterday. We saw what happened in Indiana. How are you going to be able to overcome the president’s opposition?
MASSIE: Well, I have the endorsement of the right-to-life organizations, the gun organizations. I had four members of Congress come here yesterday and campaign with me. So, my situation is a little bit different. Plus, I’ve had millions of dollars come in from the grassroots, tens of thousands of donors, to my website, thomasmassie.com. And it’s still coming in. And that’s how we’re going to beat them.
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