Lauren Boebert spent the weekend defying Donald Trump to campaign for a man he despised, watched that man lose on Tuesday night, and then posted 'Trump is my President!' before the votes were fully counted.
The Colorado congresswoman took to X on the evening of 19 May 2026 to share a mixture of personal celebration and political loyalty, writing: 'Tonight I celebrated my son's graduation! My friend & Co-Chair gave his all in Kentucky! Trump is my President! Jesus is Lord! I look forward to a lifetime filled with joy, purpose, and gratitude. May God continue to bless America and the freedoms that make this nation the greatest.'
The 'friend & Co-Chair' in the post was Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie, who had just been defeated in the Republican primary by Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL who ran an unambiguous campaign on absolute loyalty to the president.
From 'Weak Minded' to 'My President' in Less Than 72 Hours
The rupture began on Saturday, 17 May 2026, when Trump posted on Truth Social asking whether anyone wanted to run against Boebert in Colorado's 4th Congressional District.
'You remember Lauren moved to the District when it became obvious that she couldn't win in her original Congressional District,' he wrote, calling her a 'Carpetbagger' and labelling Massie 'the Worst 'Republican' Congressman in the History of our Country.'
'Even though I long ago endorsed Boebert,' Trump continued, 'if the right person came along, it would be my Honor to withdraw that Endorsement, and endorse a good and proper alternative. Just let me know, or announce your Candidacy, and I will be there for you!' The filing deadline for Colorado's June primary had already passed. Boebert was running unopposed and no challenger could enter the race, which blunted the threat's practical impact.
Yes, I saw the President’s post.
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) May 16, 2026
No, I’m not mad or offended. I knew the risks when I agreed to stand by my friend Thomas Massie.
I was, and will be, America First, America Always, and MAGA.
Onward 🇺🇸
Boebert's reply on Saturday was cool and unapologetic. 'Yes, I saw the President's post,' she wrote on X. 'No, I'm not mad or offended. I knew the risks when I agreed to stand by my friend Thomas Massie. I was, and will be, America First, America Always, and MAGA.' By Tuesday evening, with Massie's defeat called by the Associated Press, the tone had shifted entirely.
Tonight I celebrated my son’s graduation!
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) May 20, 2026
My friend & Co-Chair gave his all in Kentucky!
Trump is my President!
Jesus is Lord!
I look forward to a lifetime filled with joy, purpose, and gratitude. May God continue to bless America and the freedoms that make this nation the… pic.twitter.com/QqMHMLv8aV
Why Massie Drew Trump's Fury and Boebert's Loyalty
Massie and Boebert shared more than friendship. According to the Northern Kentucky Tribune, they both co-chair the Congressional Second Amendment Caucus, and Boebert was one of the Republicans who joined Massie's discharge petition last year to force a vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files. That shared legislative history deepened her commitment to his campaign even as MAGA aligned forces turned on him.
Massie's offences in Trump's eyes were several. He voted twice against the president's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' budget package, arguing it would 'significantly increase U.S. budget deficits in the near term, negatively impacting all Americans through sustained inflation and high interest rates.'
He openly criticised American military involvement in the 2026 Iran war, and he was the most prominent Republican voice demanding the public release of the Epstein investigation files, a cause that brought him into alliance with Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California.
Trump's antagonism toward Massie predated this primary cycle but intensified throughout early 2026. He traveled to northern Kentucky in March to rally for Gallrein, calling Massie 'a complete and total disaster as a congressman' who was 'disloyal to the people of Kentucky.'
On the Sunday before the vote, Trump posted: 'Kentucky, vote the bum out on Tuesday. We can't live with this troublemaker for another two years.' Massie had, for his part, noted that he voted with Trump 77.6% of the time in the previous congressional session, per an analysis by CQ Roll Call.
Gallrein's Win, Its Cost, and What It Signals for Republican Dissent
Ed Gallrein won with approximately 54.4 per cent of the vote to Massie's 45.6 per cent, based on partial returns when the Associated Press called the race, according to Al Jazeera and NBC News. The former Navy SEAL and fifth-generation Kentucky farmer had pledged unequivocal support for Trump's agenda from the day he declared his candidacy.
The race was the most expensive House primary in American history, with £25.6 million ($32.6 million) spent on advertising and reservations according to tracking firm AdImpact. Pro-Trump and pro-Israel groups funded the bulk of Gallrein's advertising blitz. In a notable and legally questioned move, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also appeared at a Gallrein campaign event on the Monday before the vote, though his office stated he attended in a personal capacity.
Trump's verdict on the outcome was brief. At a White House Congressional Picnic on Tuesday evening, he told reporters: 'On the Massie thing: He was a bad guy. He deserves to lose.' Gallrein's victory speech was equally uncomplicated. 'Now my focus is on advancing the president's and the party's agenda to put America first and Kentucky always,' Gallrein said. Massie's ouster continues a pattern set earlier this year in Louisiana, where Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial, was eliminated in his own primary.
Boebert's reelection in Colorado's 4th District in June remains uncontested. Her Tuesday night post did not mention Massie by name. She did not address what his loss meant, and she offered no comment on the feud that had brought Trump's wrath down on her four days earlier.
In the Republican Party that Trump has built, Boebert managed to lose nothing tangible this week, but Massie's defeat makes clear exactly what the price of that kind of loyalty costs the person on the receiving end of it.
