Trump aims to defeat dissident Republicans in key May primaries

2026 ElectionTrump aims to defeat dissident Republicans in key May primariesTrump has endorsed primary challengers to multiple GOP lawmakers, with Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky as his top target.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00President Donald Trump at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, in July.Scott Morgan / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 29, 2026, 5:00 AM EDTBy Bridget Bowman, Matt Dixon, Henry J. Gomez and Melanie ZanonaPresident Donald Trump’s yearslong revenge tour against select members of his own party faces big tests in May as Trump looks to oust multiple Republican lawmakers who have crossed him in the past.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Primaries in Kentucky, Indiana and Louisiana are the president’s best chances at beating Republican apostates on issues from redistricting to Jeffrey Epstein to impeachment, as he looks to further tighten his stranglehold on the GOP. Trump has issued endorsements in a slew of races, and he and his political machine encouraged some candidates to run and others to drop out, deployed top lieutenants to outside groups and spent millions of dollars on the airwaves. body:has(.jw-flag-floating) .article-hero__container, body:has(.jw-flag-floating) .article-hero__media-holder, body:has(.jw-flag-floating) #content { z-index: auto; } Add NBC News to GoogleSen. Cassidy says vote to convict Trump in impeachment trial ‘might be’ a liability in primary05:51“I don’t know if I would nickname it,” a Trump political adviser said about the idea of a “revenge tour.” “But the president and many people around him have been very clear what happens to those who do not stand up for his agenda.”These include state legislators in Indiana who stood up to Trump on redistricting and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who voted five years ago to convict Trump on impeachment charges. But few people fit that description more than Rep. Thomas Massie of Ken...