2026-05-18T19:27:16-04:00 / 福克斯新闻
五角大楼：黑格斯在附近坎贝尔堡颁发勋章后以个人身份亮相
作者：保罗·斯坦豪瑟、杰西卡·松金 福克斯新闻
发布于 2026年5月18日 美国东部时间晚7:27
马西抨击“ desperation式”攻击，身陷特朗普背书的初选缠斗
周二备受关注的肯塔基州共和党初选即将到来，众议员托马斯·马西表示，唐纳德·特朗普总统的……
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肯塔基州希伯伦——获得唐纳德·特朗普总统背书、正在挑战肯塔基州众议员托马斯·马西共和党提名的共和党国会候选人埃德·高尔雷恩，在该州初选前夕获得了额外的助力。
前海军海豹突击队队员、肯塔基州农民高尔雷恩周一在竞选活动中与战争部长皮特·黑格斯同台亮相。
马西长期以来一直是国会中对特朗普声音最响亮的共和党批评者之一，而位于该州中北部的肯塔基州第四国会选区的共和党初选，是检验特朗普对共和党巨大掌控力的最新试金石。
“特朗普总统需要增援，这就是参战者的作为：支持领导人并成为其后盾，”黑格斯在由特朗普联盟的非营利政治倡导组织“美国优先行动”组织的活动中表示。
特朗普在路易斯安那州初选大捷，卡西迪遭淘汰
美国国防部长皮特·黑格斯（右）与前海军海豹突击队队员埃德·高尔雷恩一同出席活动，摄于2026年5月18日肯塔基州希伯伦，肯塔基州初选前夕。高尔雷恩获得唐纳德·特朗普总统背书，正挑战众议员托马斯·马西在该州第四国会选区的共和党提名。（杰西卡·松金/福克斯新闻）
马西是一位秉持自由主义立场的议员，多次在外交政策上抨击总统，包括伊朗战争以及美国无条件向以色列提供军事援助，他还成功推动公开了与定罪性犯罪者杰弗里·爱泼斯坦相关的政府文件。
但黑格斯认为，马西的执政记录是“太多哗众取宠，太少有意义的投票，多年来将制造分歧等同于展现勇气。这并非真正的勇气。真正的勇气意味着在使命最为关键的时刻挺身而出，在我们最需要坚定投票击败左翼疯狂民主党人的时候站出来。”
“特朗普总统不需要更多华盛顿政客来刻意制造议题，尤其是来自其本党的政客。他需要愿意协助他获胜、在关键时刻与他同频投票的人，”黑格斯补充道。
黑格斯的此番言论是在附近坎贝尔堡为军人颁发勋章后不久发表的，对于这位文职的美国军方负责人而言实属罕见。国防部长历来避免出席政治活动。
此次亮相前，五角大楼发言人肖恩·帕内尔表示，黑格斯将仅“以个人身份”出席，且“不会动用纳税人资金为其此行提供便利”。
黑格斯也提及了此次亮相的特殊性。
“我必须提前向法律顾问说明，我是以普通公民、同胞美国人和退伍战友的个人身份前来的。”
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但正在与高尔雷恩展开激烈角逐的马西，在周一接受福克斯新闻数字频道采访时表示，黑格斯的到访“恰恰说明我在民调中领先。如果我没有领先，他们不会派战争部长来我的选区。”
“我认为这也说明我比伊朗更强硬，而我连核武器都没有。他们已经在这场竞选中倾尽全力了。这现在基本上是一场全国性的竞选，国会历史上最昂贵的初选，而这正是因为，正如你们所知，我在履职，我正在推进各项事务。我促成了爱泼斯坦文件的公开，我在农业法案中推动立法，我在议会中推动法案通过，而他们想要让我闭嘴，”马西强调道。
在与黑格斯共同出席活动前，高尔雷恩接受福克斯新闻数字频道采访时指责马西“正在与特朗普总统以及共和党提出的议程作对”。
肯塔基州初选于印第安纳州初选两周后举行。去年12月，五名现任共和党州参议员与民主党人联手，挫败了特朗普推动该共和党主导的中西部州国会选区重新划分的计划，特朗普背书的挑战者随后将他们赶下台。
而肯塔基州的这场选票对决，距离路易斯安那州共和党参议员比尔·卡西迪被淘汰仅三天。卡西迪寻求连任时在初选中位列第三，落后于特朗普背书的众议员朱莉娅·莱特洛和路易斯安那州保守派财政部长约翰·弗莱明。
卡西迪的政治失利发生在他投票弹劾特朗普五年半之后。当时众议院因特朗普在1月6日支持者暴力冲击美国国会、企图推翻前总统乔·拜登2020年大选胜利结果一事中扮演的角色而启动弹劾，参议院最终宣判特朗普无罪。
马西表示他“完全有能力”击败获得特朗普背书的高尔雷恩。“我在这里获得了广泛支持，比如我的竞选活动。有时会有100到200人，甚至300人到场。我的对手不得不取消活动，因为他连半个德克萨斯州快餐连锁店都雇不到足够的人撑场面。”
独家报道：特朗普背书的前海军海豹突击队队员发起共和党初选挑战，对决马西
肯塔基州共和党众议员托马斯·马西在该州初选前夕开展竞选活动，摄于2026年5月18日肯塔基州梅森县。（保罗·斯坦豪瑟/福克斯新闻）
根据知名广告追踪公司AdImpact的数据，这场竞选的广告支出已成为众议院历史上最昂贵的选举，总投入超过3200万美元。
其中大部分资金来自特朗普的盟友和支持以色列的团体。
“事实是，我对以色列没有任何意见。我只是从未投票支持过对外援助。我说的美国优先是认真的。我不会投票支持向埃及、叙利亚、乌克兰提供对外援助。我在这方面的记录无懈可击，我不会因为向某一个国家提供对外援助而毁掉这份记录，”马西在为自己对以色列的立场辩护时说道。
马西还表示，尽管特朗普的盟友和支持以色列的团体斥资数千万美元试图将他赶下台，但“我有数以万计的草根捐赠者，他们每次捐50美元、20美元。我们能够与他们比肩，依靠草根捐赠者在电视上与他们正面抗衡，这真正凝聚了全国的支持。”
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美国众议员托马斯·马西（R-KY）在众议院以427票对1票通过《爱泼斯坦文件透明度法案》并批准公开相关文件后，离开国会山与媒体交谈，摄于2025年11月18日华盛顿特区。（罗伯托·施密特/盖蒂图片社）
特朗普在初选竞选的最后几天多次在社交媒体上抨击马西。
周一，总统在Truth社交平台发布的视频中表示，他希望肯塔基州选民能让马西“彻底出局”，并称“我们正在与我国历史上最糟糕的国会议员作斗争”。
特朗普还称赞高尔雷恩是“很棒的人”和“伟大的爱国者”。
但马西表示，特朗普在社交媒体上的嘲讽可能会适得其反。
“这说明他夜不能寐，他的声誉岌岌可危。他本就不该卷入这场竞选，因为我90%的投票都与他一致，”这位众议员说道。
保罗·斯坦豪瑟是驻摇摆州新罕布什尔州的政治记者，全程报道全国竞选活动。
Hegseth unleashes on Massie in GOP primary showdown against Trump-backed Navy SEAL vet
2026-05-18T19:27:16-04:00 / Fox News
Hegseth appeared ‘in his personal capacity’ after awarding medals at nearby Fort Campbell, Pentagon says
By Paul Steinhauser , Jessica Sonkin Fox News
Published May 18, 2026 7:27pm EDT
Massie blasts ‘desperate’ attacks amid Trump-backed primary battle
Ahead of Tuesday’s closely watched Kentucky GOP primary, Rep. Thomas Massie says President Donald Trump’s
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HEBRON, KY– Ed Gallrein, the Republican congressional candidate backed by President Donald Trump who is challenging Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky for the GOP nomination, landed extra firepower on the eve of the state’s primary.
Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL and Kentucky farmer, was joined on the campaign trail Monday by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
Massie has long been one of Trump’s most vocal GOP critics in Congress and the Republican primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, in the north-central part of the state, the latest test of Trump’s immense grip over the GOP.
“President Trump needs reinforcements, and that’s what war fighters do. They stand behind leaders and have their back,” Hegseth said at an event organized by America First Works, a Trump-aligned nonprofit political advocacy group.
TRUMP SCORES MAJOR PRIMARY VICTORY AS CASSIDY OUSTED IN LOUSIANA
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, joins former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, at an event on the eve of Kentucky’s primary, in Hebron, Kentucky on May 18, 2026. Gallrein is backed by President Donald Trump as he primary challenges Rep. Thomas Massie for the GOP nomination in the state’s fourth congressional district.(Jessica Sonkin/Fox News)
Massie, a libertarian-minded lawmaker who repeatedly takes aim at the president over foreign policy, including the Iran war and unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel, also successfully pushed for the release of government files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
But Hegseth argued that Massie’s record is one of “too much grandstanding, too few great votes, years of acting like being difficult is the same thing as being courageous. It’s not. Real courage means stepping up when the mission matters most, when we need that tough vote to beat left-wing lunatic Democrats the most.”
“President Trump does not need more people in Washington who are trying to make a point, especially from his own party.He needs people willing to help him win, to vote with him when it matters the most,” Hegseth added.
Hegseth’s remarks, which came soon after a stop at nearby Fort Campbell to award medals for service members, were rare for the civilian head of the nation’s military. Defense secretaries have traditionally avoided appearing at political events.
Ahead of the stop, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth would appear only “in his personal capacity” and that “no taxpayer dollars will be used to facilitate his visit.”
Hegseth noted the unusual appearance.
“I have to say up front, for the lawyers, that I’m here in my personal capacity as a private citizen, a fellow American, and a fellow combat veteran.”
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But Massie, who’s locked in a competitive clash with Gallrein in what’s become the most expensive congressional primary in history, claimed in a Fox News Digital interview on Monday that Hegseth’s stop “shows that I’m up in the polls. They wouldn’t be sending the Secretary of War to my congressional district if I weren’t.”
“I think it also shows I’m tougher than Iran, and I don’t even have a nuclear weapon. I mean, they are all in at this race. It’s basically a national race at this point, the most expensive race primary in congressional history, and that’s because, you know, I’m up there, I’m getting things done. I got the Epstein files released, I’m getting legislation in the farm bill, I’m getting legislation passed on the floor, and they want to shut me down,” Massie emphasized.
Gallrein, speaking with Fox News Digital ahead of his event with Hegseth, charged that Massie’s “running against President Trump, and the agenda that has been put forward by the Republican Party.”
Kentucky’s primary is being held two weeks after Indiana’s primary, where Trump-backed challengers ousted five sitting Republican state senators who last December teamed up with Democrats to defeat the president’s push for congressional redistricting in the GOP-dominated Midwestern state.
And the ballot box showdown in Kentucky comes three days after Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana was ousted as he sought renomination. The senator came in third in the primary, behind Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow and conservative Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming.
Cassidy’s political defeat came five and a half years after he voted to convict Trump after he was impeached by the House for his role in the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters who aimed to upend congressional certification of former President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. Trump was acquitted by the Senate.
Massie said he “absolutely can” overcome the Trump endorsement of Gallrein. “I’ve got the groundswell here, like my events. I’ve got 100-200 sometimes 300 people show up. My opponent had to cancel events because he couldn’t get enough people, you know, to fill up a Dairy Queen, half a Dairy Queen.”
SCOOP: TRUMP-BACKED FORMER NAVY SEAL LAUNCHES GOP PRIMARY CHALLENGE AGAINST MASSIE
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky campaigns on the eve of his state’s primary, in Mason County, Kentucky on May 18, 2026.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
The race has become the most expensive in House history in terms of ad spending, with over $32 million shelled out, according to the nationally known ad tracking firm AdImpact.
Much of that money has been shelled out by Trump’s allies and pro-Israel groups.
“Here’s the thing, I’ve got nothing against Israel. I just have never voted for foreign aid. When I said America First, I meant it. I don’t vote for foreign aid to Egypt, to Syria, to Ukraine. I’ve got a flawless record on this, and I’m not going to ruin it by sending foreign aid to one country,” Massie said as he defended his stance on Israel.
And Massie touted that while Trump’s allies and pro-Israel groups have spent tens of millions to take him out, he said, “I’ve got tens of thousands of grassroots donors who are funding me $50 at a time, $20 at a time. We’ve been able to match them to go toe to toe with them on TV using grassroots donors, and it’s really galvanized the nation.”
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U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) leaves to speak with the media after the House voted 427-1 to approve the Epstein Files Transparency Act and the release of documents and files at the U.S. Capitol on November 18, 2025 in Washington, DC.(Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)
Trump has repeatedly targeted Massie in social media posts in the closing days of the primary campaign.
The president said in a video posted to Truth Social on Monday that he hoped Kentucky voters would put Massie “out of business” and that “we’re in a fight against the worst congressman in the history of our country.”
And Trump praised Gallrein as “a great guy” and “a great patriot.”
But Massie said Trump’s taunts on social media may backfire.
“It shows he’s losing sleep, his reputation is on the line. He really shouldn’t have got involved in this race, because I vote with him 90% of the time,” the congressman said.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.