A Trump Dissenter Fights for His Political Life

About this episode

<p>In Kentucky today, amid record-low approval ratings, President Trump is asking Republican primary voters to reject Representative Thomas Massie, who has broken with Mr. Trump on a handful of votes.</p> <p>Instead, he wants them to elect his handpicked challenger.</p> <p>Robert Draper, who covers domestic politics for The Times, and “The Daily” producer Caitlin O’Keefe, travel to Kentucky to cover what has become the most expensive House primary in American history.</p> <p>Guest:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/robert-draper" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Robert Draper</strong></a>, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist for The New York Times.</li> <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/caitlin-o-keefe" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Caitlin O’Keefe</strong></a>, an audio producer on “The Daily.”</li> </ul> <p>Background reading: </p> <ul> <li>In Kentucky, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/us/politics/thomas-massie-kentucky-trump-election.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">fidelity to Mr. Trump is once again on the ballot</a>.</li> </ul> <p>Photo: Michael Swensen for The New York Times</p> <p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>nytimes.com/thedaily</strong></a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p> <p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>