Massie and Greene could help conservatism survive Trumpism

In a little noticed item in the New York Times on May 27, it was reported that recently defeated Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and his wife had met up in Costa Rica with former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and her fiancé at her vacation home.  

One can imagine a common thread of their discussions was how both had found their way onto President Trump’s enemy list. Given the one-way signs posted on Trump loyalty boulevard, it did not take much.  

For Greene, who resigned from the House in January, that meant Trump world wanted her to shut up about the Epstein files. The Trump administration was perfectly capable of bungling the files’ release without her help. For Massie, a true libertarian favoring less spending and less government, who had co-sponsored the Epstein Files Transparency Act, watching Trump’s incessant expansion of executive power was a bridge too far. He has let it be known that he filed paperwork to seek an unspecified federal office in 2028.

Together, Massie and Greene paint a picture of conservative voters disappointed in Trump and not MAGA true believers who take every word Trump utters as gospel. The Massie-Greene conservatives remember what Trump said on Monday. When he contradicts it on Wednesday, they say “What?” By Friday, they have grown tired of waiting for the truth. Thus, they hear a call to action.

Certainly, Massie and Greene do not want to be blamed for tipping one or two battleground states to a leftist Democratic nominee. Who wants to make the presidency of........

© The Hill