On Tuesday, President Trump’s Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, broke the usual rules at the Pentagon and faced scrutiny under the Hatch Act when he campaigned for Ed Gallrein, the GOP candidate endorsed by Trump who won against the current U.S. Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) in the Republican primary.
At a Gallrein event, Hegseth criticized Rep. Massie, stating, “President Trump doesn’t need more people in Washington who are just trying to make a statement, especially from his own party.
He needs individuals ready to support him and vote with him when it counts. Often, Thomas Massie has acted like his role is to be separate from the movement that President Trump needs instead of helping to strengthen it.”
[NOTE: Massie voted in line with Trump over 80 percent of the time, but he faced backlash from Trump for opposing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and for his attempts to release the Epstein files.]
You know what’s so disturbing about this?
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) May 18, 2026
It’s not about serving Trump. It’s about defending and protecting the constitution and the American people.
MAGA has become a cult where Fox News hosts demand absurd loyalty to the very neocon establishment policies that Americans voted… https://t.co/xEmYvFvXv2
Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who supported Massie, reacted to Hegseth’s remarks.
“What’s really troubling about this?”
Greene wrote. “It’s not just about serving Trump. It’s about defending and protecting the constitution and the American people. MAGA has turned into a cult where Fox News hosts demand unreasonable loyalty to the very neocon establishment policies that Americans wanted to change.”
[NOTE: Hegseth used to be a host on Fox News, co-hosting Fox & Friends Weekend from 2017 until he stepped down to become Secretary of Defense.]
After his defeat, Massie also pointed fingers at Fox News, claiming he had been effectively banned from appearing on the network for over a year while trying to keep his seat.
He referred to his treatment by Fox as a “blackout.”
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