President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky on Sunday, denouncing the Republican lawmaker in a social media post for opposing his military action against Iran and other policy positions.
The confrontation emerged as Trump defended his decision to strike Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend, which occurred without seeking congressional authorization. Trump criticized Massie for objecting to the president taking military action without specific congressional approval.
In his Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump stated: “We had a spectacular military success yesterday, taking the ‘bomb’ right out of their hands (and they would use it if they could!)” while attacking the Kentucky congressman. The post came amid broader domestic political fallout over the Iran strikes.
The military operation, dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer,” targeted three Iranian nuclear sites at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan on Saturday night. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Air Force General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, detailed the mission during a Pentagon briefing on Sunday, indicating the operation involved decoys and deception tactics and met no Iranian resistance.
According to initial assessments, the strikes caused significant damage to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. However, a Defense Intelligence Agency report suggested the effectiveness may have been limited, concluding the airstrikes set Iran’s nuclear program back by only three to six months rather than completely eliminating it as Trump had claimed.
The strikes prompted Iran to retaliate on Monday, launching missiles targeting Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the region. Trump characterized Iran’s response as weak, noting that 13 of 14 missiles were intercepted with one allowed to continue in a non-threatening direction.
Following Iran’s retaliation, Trump announced a ceasefire between Iran and Israel on Monday evening. The ceasefire appeared fragile by Tuesday morning, with both sides accused of violations. Israel reported identifying missiles launched from Iran, with one striking a residential building in Beer Sheva that killed three people.
Public opinion on Trump’s Iran strikes revealed partisan divisions, according to a CNN poll conducted Sunday and Monday. The survey found 56 percent of Americans disapproved of the strikes, with 44 percent expressing approval. Nearly 90 percent of Democrats disapproved while 80 percent of Republicans supported the decision.
The poll also showed 65 percent of Americans believed the president should seek congressional approval for further military action against Iran. A large majority opposed sending ground troops to Iran.
House Speaker Mike Johnson defended Trump’s authority to conduct the strikes without congressional authorization, arguing the War Powers Act itself may be unconstitutional. Johnson contended the strikes fell within Trump’s Article II powers as commander in chief.
Trump’s messaging on Iran appeared inconsistent throughout the weekend. While senior officials including Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance emphasized the administration was not seeking regime change in Iran, Trump later posted on Truth Social questioning whether regime change might be necessary if Iran’s current leadership could not “make Iran great again.”
The strikes represented a significant escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran that began June 13 when Israel launched attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran had retaliated against Israeli strikes before the U.S. intervention, creating a cycle of attacks that lasted over a week.
Administration officials suggested the U.S. was prepared for Iranian retaliation but hoped to avoid wider conflict. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated there were no planned military operations against Iran unless Tehran attacked U.S. interests.
The B-2 bombers used in the operation flew an 18-hour mission from the United States to reach their targets. Military officials reported Iran’s air defenses did not engage the aircraft, and no shots were fired by Iranian forces during the operation.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the strikes as crossing “a very big red line” by attacking nuclear facilities. Iranian officials maintained their nuclear program was for civilian purposes only and criticized the attacks as violations of sovereignty and international law.
The confrontation with Massie highlighted broader tensions within the Republican Party over executive war powers and congressional oversight of military action. Trump’s public criticism of the Kentucky congressman demonstrated his willingness to attack members of his own party who questioned his decisions.
