Karl Rove and Bill Hemmer Declare Thomas Massie Race a Referendum on Trump: There Is a Risk to This'

The Massie–Gallrein primary is framed as a measure of President Trump’s standing within the Republican Party. A Massie win would be interpreted as evidence of Trump’s waning influence, while a Massie loss would be seen as a warning to Republicans who challenge the president. The race is also described as costly because it consumes party resources that could be used for the general election. The outcome may affect how much Republicans feel they must align with Trump, since some lawmakers have previously voted against Trump-linked agendas without facing immediate retaliation. Examples are cited of politicians who distanced themselves from Trump’s positions or adjusted their plans after Trump signaled opposition.

"HEMMER: Bill McGurn writes this about it in the [Wall Street] Journal today, If Mr. Massie prevails, the victory will be treated as a sign of Mr. Trump's waning influence in his own party. But if Mr. Massie is defeated, it will be taken as a warning to all Republicans that you mess with the president at your own peril. I see this race every bit as much about President Trump, as Massie and Gallrein."

"ROVE: Oh yeah, sure. In fact, it's that's what it's about. I suspect most people are-, can't even pronounce Gallrein's last name. It's like, okay, he's the not-Trump guy-, he's the Trump guy and the other guy is the not-Trump guy. But, you know, there is a risk to this for the president there are two risks, actually. One is it expends a lot of resources in battle inside the party that could be spent on the general election."

"ROVE: ...you know, there gets to be a point where people say, You know, Mr. President, I don't need to be with you 100% of the time. Look, there were people who voted against the Bush agenda. One of them was an Indiana congressman who voted against the prescription drug benefit. His name was Mike Pence. But we would no more have thought about going after Mike Pence on that than the man on the moon, because you're going to need that vote another day."

"ROVE: And we saw this earlier this year, Thom Tillis in the Senate for example, said, OK, I'm not running for reelection the president made it clear that if I did he wasn't gonna be for me so I'm free. And what I'm gonna do is give him a heartburn on the issue of the Federal Reserve chairman. Trump has devoted considerable time and energy to the goal of involuntarily retiring Masie."

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