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Most House Republicans operate under an unspoken but ironclad rule: Do everything possible to avoid incurring the wrath of former President Donald J. Trump.
But on a recent weekend here in Iowa, just days before the state’s first-in-the-nation nominating contest, two of Congress’ staunchest conservatives were doing just that as they toured the state with Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida to defend a standard bearer of a different party.
Stop after stop on a series of frigid, gray days, Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Thomas Massie of Kentucky packed packed sports bars and coffee shops, pitching DeSantis as a leader with a proven track record of conservative victories. In doing so, they issued a surprisingly blunt review of what they said was a series of policy failures by the former president, including his failure to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, complete a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico and control in the growing national debt, and an implicit criticism of his character.
“The main reason I support Gov. Ron DeSantis for president is that I want my son and daughter to be able to look up to the occupant of the Oval Office,” Roy told a roomful of caucusgoers at a meeting. sports bar in Ankeny. “Someone they can emulate. Someone I would be proud to follow and consider a leader.”
Roy and Massie have always been unique figures in Congress. Roy, former chief of staff to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, has become arguably the most influential conservative voice in politics in the House Republican conference. Massie, a libertarian who is both thoughtful and mischievous, forced Congress to return to Washington for a recorded vote on the $2 trillion stimulus measure at the height of the pandemic.
But his commitment to breaking with a large majority of his colleagues – including the entire House Republican leadership – and campaigning for DeSantis even as he trails Trump in the polls is perhaps one of his most notable political moves. tense until now.
Despite the potential political risks, they have remained defiant, not only criticizing Trump’s record (even including one or two impersonations of the famous Republican front-runner) but also openly lamenting the decisions of fellow Republicans who have backed him.
“I would say that a good number of people who have supported Trump in Congress have done so because they really want him to be president and prefer him,” Massie said in an interview before an event with DeSantis at a sports bar in Grimes. “But most of them are afraid of their own constituents. They are not necessarily afraid of Trump, but they are afraid that he would irritate their voters and they could lose a primary. And that disappoints me.”
“It’s a political risk,” Massie admitted of his endorsement of DeSantis, noting that two of his primary opponents had recently filed to challenge him.
He and Roy are two of five sitting members of Congress, including Rep. Bob Good of Virginia, the newly elected chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, who have endorsed the Florida governor. Until last week, all House Republican leaders had lined up behind Trump.
When asked about the potential political risks of campaigning against Trump, Roy responded: “I don’t give a shit what some influencers on Twitter say.”
“Frankly,” he continued, “too many of my Republican colleagues operate out of fear. I fear the Lord. I’m not afraid of politics. I do not fear political reprisals. Worst case scenario, do I end up back in Texas? My life is pretty good.”
If Trump’s entourage of surrogates are MAGA favorites, DeSantis’ circle is more of an unstable conservative clique. During the election campaign, Massie describes how when DeSantis was in Congress, the two avoided gala dinners and read the text of the bills they voted on over sandwiches. Roy enthuses about Florida’s balanced budget, comparing it to the growing national debt left behind by Trump.
His criticisms begin tactfully. Roy notes that he supported Trump in 2016 and 2020, notes that many of his “great friends” worked in the Trump administration, and frequently points out his references to the former president “with all due respect.” Massie has acknowledged that “Trump did a lot of good things.”
They are not household names, but many voters in Iowa greeted them enthusiastically. At a coffee shop, a man loudly cheered Mr. Roy by name, and at another stop, a woman stopped Mr. Massie to ask if her young daughter could shake his hand.
The Trump campaign has signaled that it is unimpressed by DeSantis’ appearances with members of Congress.
“Wow, what a game changer (insert sarcasm here),” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a text message.
But they appear to have personally irritated Trump himself.
“Has any smart and energetic Republican in the Great State of Texas decided to run in the primary against RINO Congressman Chip Roy?” Trump wrote last month on his social media platform, using the acronym “Republican in Name Only.” ”. “For the right person, he is very beatable. If you are interested, let me know!!!”
In fact, the deadline to file a candidacy to challenge Mr. Roy had already closed.
Both Roy and Massie have challenged the former president before. They led a letter in the days leading up to January 6, 2021arguing that the Constitution does not give Congress the authority to overturn President Biden’s election victory.
“Both Thomas and I, two years ago, said, ‘Oh, you’re going to have problems because you voted for the electors,’” Roy said in an interview. “I got more votes than anyone in Texas in my district. I will go and speak honestly with my constituents. “They know what I’m fighting for.”
Massie has already successfully defended a primary challenge from his right: “I have Trump’s antibodies. “They attacked me and I built a resistance in my district.”
He frequently tells voters how Trump tried to expel him from the party after he forced Congress to return to Washington for an in-person vote on the first coronavirus stimulus measure.
Imitating Trump’s distinctive way of speaking, Massie delighted the crowd on a recent Saturday with an impression of the call he received from the president at the time. “’I’m more popular in Kentucky than you are, and you know it,’” he recalled Trump saying. “He was! He had done polls. And he says: ‘I’m backing your main rival and you’re going to lose.'”
Massie won by more than 60 points.
Still, his criticisms have some limits.
When Massie reminded voters at the Ankeny bar that, as president, Trump had signed a huge bill to fund the government and promised never to pass a single big spending measure again, one man yelled, “He lied! ”.
Massie paused and showed a wry smile: “He… cheated very tragically.”
Nicolas Nehamas contributed with reports.