During an appearance on NBC News’ Meet the Press, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) would not rule out a potential 2028 presidential bid.

“I will not rule out anything. And right now, I’m not gonna rule in anything. Look, I’ve spent the last five days on my farm with my grandkids, and my cattle, and my peach trees, and it’s a pretty nice life,” Massie said.

“I don’t know if I want to screw that up again. I’ve been in Congress 14 years, fighting. Every hour that passes, I get decompressed a little bit more. It’s like coming up from the bottom of the ocean. And I’ll take some time and decide what’s next. But I think I will stay engaged in some way or shape,” he continued.

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Massie’s comments come just days after he lost his Republican primary to a challenger backed by President Donald Trump—former Navy Seal officer Ed Gallrein—in the most expensive House primary election in United States history. In March, Trump slammed Massie at a rally in the state, calling him a “complete and total disaster as a congressman” who is “disloyal to the people of Kentucky, and most importantly, he is disloyal to the United States of America.”

Massie’s willingness to entertain a 2028 presidential run suggests he intends to maintain a national profile, positioning himself as a prominent maverick voice within the GOP as early jockeying for the 2028 nomination begins to take shape.

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His remarks also reflect broader questions about the direction of the Republican Party and the role of lawmakers who have broken with Trump on key issues—including ones who have paid a political price for doing so.

Welker noted that some of the congressman’s supporters chanted “president, president” during his post-election speech, prompting her to ask if a White House bid was under active consideration. Massie responded with a mix of humor and caution, emphasizing that he is still decompressing after 14 years in the House of Representatives.

Massie teased a 2028 presidential run during his concession speech after Tuesday’s GOP primary.

A crowd of Massie supporters chanted, “2028!”

“What happens in 2028? You want me to run for Congress again?” Massie asked the crowd.

The crowd chanted, “President!”

“You made a compelling argument. You spoke your peace. But I need a medical margarita right now. And we’ll talk about it later,” he said.

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More from The Independent:

On Sunday, Massie also warned that the Republican Party could be “very vulnerable” in the upcoming midterm elections over their loyalty to Trump.

When asked whether Republicans were beginning to break with Trump, he responded: “It’s true, you can take out Republicans in primaries, but Republicans are going to be very vulnerable this fall. They’re worried about their own political mortality.”

Massie frequently broke with the Trump administration on issues including Iran policy, the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” and the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

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He said Sunday that his split from the president was “absolutely worth it for me.”

“Now, I don’t think it’s going to be worth it for the party,” Massie added.

“Look, some people on the left have Trump Derangement Syndrome. They call it TDS. But there’s a growing number of people on the right who have a form of TDS called Trump Disappointment Syndrome.”

Massie also criticized Trump’s focus on building a new White House ballroom, calling it “a slap in the face of Americans.”

“The ballroom, I mean, that is such an egregious waste of money,” Massie said.

Trump has said the ballroom project would be funded through private donations, though Republicans recently sought to include $1 billion in taxpayer funding tied to security costs associated with construction.

Watch the full interview below:

 

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