Here are the GOP victims of Trump's retribution campaign

Comments: by Sarah Davis - 05/23/26 6:00 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Sarah Davis - 05/23/26 6:00 AM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING President Trump has taken bold strides in recent months to oust GOP lawmakers over perceived disloyalty to his administration — often against the wishes of congressional leadership. The president has recruited primary challengers and derided sitting lawmakers in lengthy, expletive-filled social media posts over policy disputes and personal gripes ahead of the November midterms. Those actions will reshape Congress after the November election, and GOP lawmakers warn that the changes could ultimately make it more difficult for Trump to pass his administration s agenda. Here are the Republicans affected by the president s retribution campaign: The Kentucky representative came up short in the state s GOP primary on Tuesday to his Trump-backed opponent, retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein. Trump recruited Gallrein for the race after Massie broke with his administration on several key issues, including the Iran war and the Justice Department s release of files related to its probe into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Massie cautioned against the dangers of shrinking the tent of the Republican Party after his loss and warned that Trump s retribution campaign could endanger the GOP s slim majority in the U.S. House come November. I think it was dangerous to pare the tree tonight, but that s what happened, Massie told MS NOW on Tuesday evening. They got pruned, and we ll see if there s enough tree left there to win in November and to have a governing majority. Cassidy ramped up support for Trump during his campaign, but it was not enough to make the president forget that the Louisiana Republican voted to convict him on impeachment proceedings in 2021 related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The president called him a disloyal disaster in a Truth Social post ahead of the state s Republican primary on Saturday. Cassidy finished in third place in the primary contest, with the Trump-endorsed candidate, Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.), advancing to a runoff with state Treasurer John Fleming (R). Following his defeat, Cassidy said he remains hopeful about the political state of America and appeared to take a jab at Trump s loyalty tests for GOP lawmakers. Americans are hungry for a politics that solves problems, the senator wrote in a lengthy statement shared on social media. To achieve this, loyalty must first be to country, Constitution, and fellow Americans, not to individuals. After months of dangling an endorsement in the Texas Senate contest, Trump announced on Tuesday that he would back Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) in the upcoming GOP runoff on May 26. Both Paxton and Cornyn have sought to position themselves as the most loyal Trump candidate in this race and have openly campaigned for his endorsement. The incumbent candidate switched his long-standing opposition to eradicating the Senate s talking filibuster in an effort to facilitate the passage of the SAVE America Act, a policy priority for the White House. Following Trump s decision to back his challenger, Cornyn vowed to remain in the fight to keep his seat and emphasized his 99 percent voting record aligned with the president s agenda. It is now time for Texas Republican voters to decide if they want a strong nominee to help our GOP candidates down ballot and defeat [Democratic candidate James] Talarico in November, or a weak nominee who jeopardizes everything we care about, Cornyn wrote on social media. I trust the Republican voters of Texas. GOP state legislators in Indiana faced the president s wrath after they defied his administration s demand to redraw congressional maps to give the Republican Party an edge in the midterm elections. Trump endorsed challengers for seven state seats and successfully ousted five of these targeted lawmakers in the state s primary election earlier this month. The president attacked these Republican lawmakers election losses in a Truth Social post ahead of the primary, calling them RINOS, an acronym that stands for Republicans in name only. Good luck to those Great Indiana Senate Candidates who are running against people who couldn t care less about our Country, or about keeping the Majority in Congress, he wrote. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Here are the GOP victims of Trump's retribution campaign

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