WASHINGTON, May 17, 2026 — Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said Sunday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s last-minute trip to Kentucky to campaign for his primary challenger proves the Trump administration is “panicked” and has failed to gain traction against him — as Hegseth prepared to make two stops in the state Monday, including a political rally for Trump-backed Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein the day before Tuesday’s primary.
“That’s why they’re sending the Secretary of War to my district tomorrow,” Massie told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on This Week. “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 — because they’re panicked, and they really haven’t been able to gain a lead in this race.”
Hegseth’s Two Kentucky Stops
Hegseth is scheduled to make at least two stops in Kentucky on Monday, May 18. The first is a political rally at 1 p.m. in Hebron, near the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, hosted by America First Works — a conservative nonprofit advocating for an “America First agenda.” Both Hegseth and Gallrein are scheduled to speak. “Our Nation is experiencing a comeback like never before, but we must fight to keep these America First principles going or risk losing what we’ve gained,” Ashley Hayek, America First Works president, said in a news release promoting the event.
Hegseth is billed on promotional materials as “honorable” rather than by his official title — a framing that has drawn scrutiny from critics who argue the appearance violates the Hatch Act, the federal law restricting political activity by executive branch officials. The Pentagon pushed back on those claims Sunday in a statement to Newsweek, defending Hegseth’s appearance as lawful.
Hegseth’s second Kentucky stop is a Purple Heart ceremony at Fort Campbell, near the Kentucky-Tennessee border, where he will preside over the long-delayed recognition of soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division wounded in a March 2003 grenade attack at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait — more than 23 years after the incident. Hegseth will also administer the oath of enlistment to 190 re-enlistees, according to the Department of Defense.
The 2003 attack at Camp Pennsylvania occurred at the start of the Iraq War, when a soldier threw grenades into the command center tents of the 101st Airborne’s 1st Brigade, killing one officer and wounding 15. Sgt. Hasan Akbar of the 326th Engineer Battalion was later convicted of murder and attempted murder by a military tribunal. The surviving soldiers wounded that night have waited over two decades for formal recognition of their sacrifice.
Massie: ‘They’re Desperate’
Massie framed Hegseth’s presence in his district as evidence of weakness rather than strength. “You can tell that I’m ahead in the polls and they’re desperate,” he told Stephanopoulos. “They haven’t been able to gain a lead in this race.”
He also referenced the Cassidy result directly as a point of distinction rather than a warning. “My situation is a little bit different,” Massie said, pointing to grassroots fundraising, right-to-life and gun organization endorsements, and four members of Congress who campaigned with him over the weekend — including Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.; Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.; Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio; and Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind. “I’ve had millions of dollars come in from the grassroots, tens of thousands of donors to my website. And it’s still coming in. And that’s how we’re gonna beat them.”
Massie also used the Hegseth visit to escalate his criticism of outside money in the race. “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,” he said. Massie named Miriam Adelson, Paul Singer, and referenced the Republican Jewish Coalition and AIPAC as sources of the outside funding, calling them “all part of the Israeli lobby.”
ABC News said it had reached out to the RJC, AIPAC, Adelson’s foundation, Singer’s foundation, and Singer’s investment management fund for comment and had not received a response at the time of publication.
The Gallrein Counter-Offensive
Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL Captain and Army Ranger School graduate who served multiple tours on SEAL Team Six and earned four Bronze Stars, has pledged unconditional support for Trump’s agenda. His campaign has welcomed the flood of administration support in the final days before the primary.
“I do not lack for courage,” Gallrein told reporters over the weekend when asked how he would handle disagreements with Trump. “Rest assured, I’ll have a relationship with the president so he will let me speak my mind.” On the current moment, he was unambiguous: “Right now on the issues, I want to tell you where I’m at — I’m 100% behind the president, what he’s doing to turn our nation around.”
Hegseth’s appearance Monday marks the highest-profile administration surrogate deployed to the race — coming on top of Trump’s own March 2026 Kentucky rally for Gallrein, four Truth Social posts attacking Massie over the weekend, and the Kentucky MAGA super PAC funded by Trump advisers Tony Fabrizio and Chris LaCivita.
Primary Eve
The race has become the most expensive U.S. House primary in American history, with ad spending surpassing $25.6 million. Limited polling has shown Massie ahead, but only by single digits — a tight enough margin that Trump allies have continued pouring in resources through the final weekend.
Trump on Sunday morning posted one final Truth Social attack on Massie, calling him “The Worst Republican Congressman in History” and writing: “Kentucky, vote the bum out on Tuesday. We can’t live with this troublemaker for another two years. He is a true negative force!!!”
Massie, for his part, closed the weekend with a different message. “I’m the one they haven’t been able to bully,” he told Stephanopoulos. “So they’re putting all the brunt and the force on me.”
Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District votes Tuesday, May 19, 2026.