Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) had a witty yet blistering retort after a GOP colleague celebrated his failed reelection bid this week.

Massie was defeated in Tuesday’s Republican primary for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District by Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL recruited by President Donald Trump to challenge him.

Among the many Republicans pleased by Gallrein’s victory was Indiana Rep. Erin Houchin, who celebrated by sharing a photo of herself with Trump on X.

In her Tuesday night post, Houchin said she was “happy to deliver the news” of Massie’s defeat to Trump, and congratulated Gallrein.

How do his boots taste?

“How do his boots taste?” Massie shot back shortly after midnight.

As of Wednesday afternoon, his comment had received more than 29,000 likes on X, compared to just over 840 for Houchin’s original post.

A seven-term congressman, Massie incurred Trump’s wrath on numerous occasions after repeatedly bucking his party in the lead-up to Tuesday’s election.

He voted against Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, spearheaded the push for the Justice Department’s release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and spoke out against U.S. military forays into Iran and Venezuela.

During his concession speech, Massie accused Fox News of keeping him off the air in hopes of placating Trump and, later, took a dig at the president’s controversial White House ballroom project.

He also joked that he would’ve conceded earlier, but that “it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv,” alluding to the campaign contributions given to his opponent by the Republican Jewish Coalition PAC.

The race between Gallrein and Massie was the most expensive House primary in U.S. history and had been widely characterized as a barometer of how much sway Trump still has on the Republican Party, despite abysmal poll numbers. While Gallrein was one of several Trump-endorsed candidates to sweep to victory this week, many of the president’s allies took particular glee in unseating Massie.

Still, political experts are divided on whether Trump’s grip on the GOP will continue to be an advantage in this year’s midterms. Many believe the president’s emphasis on ousting Republicans like Massie who have criticized him has done little to win over independents, who will be critical to how his party will fare against Democrats this fall.

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