The Daily Populous Monday February 9th, 2026 night edition
Authored by salon.com and submitted by ChiGuy6124

Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie has been persona non grata in MAGA circles since he co-sponsored the bill that forced the release of the Department of Justice files on late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The regular target of Donald Trump and his allies explained the growing rift between himself and the president during a stop by CNN on Sunday.

Massie touted his Republican bona fides in an interview with “Inside Politics” host Manu Raju, saying he votes the party line the overwhelming majority of the time. He’s broken with the president on foreign policy and the Epstein controversy, and that’s been enough for Trump to put a target on his back. The president has encouraged his supporters to vote for Massie’s primary opponent ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.

“I vote with the president 91% of the time. The 9% of the time my party is taking up for pedophiles, bankrupting this country or starting another war, I don’t vote with them,” Massie said. “They want 100% compliance. That’s why they’re trying to take me out.”

Massie said that, ultimately, Trump means to make an example of him to keep his colleagues “in line.”

“It’s going to be tough, but I’m going to win,” he said.

Massie claimed the effort against him was funded by the “Epstein class,” billionaires whose names appear in the case files of Jeffrey Epstein. To that end, he also called on Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to step down over his correspondence with Epstein.

“He should just resign,” Massie said. “Lutnick clearly went to the island…He was in business with Jeffrey Epstein and this was many years after Epstein [was convicted] for sexual crimes.”

Start your day with essential news from Salon.

Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course.

Massie also opened up a new front against Trump, condemning a racist video that was shared by the president on Truth Social. The clip depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. Massie called the since-deleted video “beyond the pale” and called on the president to apologize.

“I do think there are limits. For a while it’s kind of funny,” he said. “Once you’ve passed certain guardrails like… getting into racist tropes. Somebody at the White House needs to go to the president and ask him for his phone.”

Watch the full interview below via YouTube:

cicalino on February 8th, 2026 at 18:23 UTC »

Funded by the "Epstein Class..."

That's good. Like that.

CouchCorrespondent on February 8th, 2026 at 18:12 UTC »

"My Party is Taking Up for Pedophiles"

THAT'S what should be printed on those red hats and sold at GOP conventions.

ChiGuy6124 on February 8th, 2026 at 18:06 UTC »

How would you like that on your resume for the rest of your life.

Honestly I am kind of ambivalent about this guy, he is not exactly a bastion of morality, no one who supports trump 91% of the time is. But I do appreciate that he is someone with moral limits that have clearly been breached, as opposed to the Republican sycophants he serves with.

Interview: https://youtu.be/sXDjynGQLYo

"The Kentucky representative explained his ongoing feud with President Donald Trump in an interview with CNN"

“I vote with the president 91% of the time. The 9% of the time my party is taking up for pedophiles, bankrupting this country or starting another war, I don’t vote with them,” Massie said. “They want 100% compliance. That’s why they’re trying to take me out.”

"Massie claimed the effort against him was funded by the “Epstein class,” billionaires whose names appear in the case files of Jeffrey Epstein. To that end, he also called on Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to step down over his correspondence with Epstein."

"Massie also opened up a new front against Trump, condemning a racist video that was shared by the president on Truth Social. The clip depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. Massie called the since-deleted video “beyond the pale” and called on the president to apologize."

“I do think there are limits. For a while it’s kind of funny,” he said. “Once you’ve passed certain guardrails like… getting into racist tropes. Somebody at the White House needs to go to the president and ask him for his phone.”