A Trump Dissenter Fights for His Political Life episode artwork

EPISODE · May 19, 2026 · 35 MIN

A Trump Dissenter Fights for His Political Life

from The Daily · host Deborah Lebree

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. Instead, he wants them to elect his handpicked challenger. 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. Guest: Robert Draper, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist for The New York Times.Caitlin O’Keefe, an audio producer on “The Daily.” Background reading:  In Kentucky, fidelity to Mr. Trump is once again on the ballot. Photo: Michael Swensen for The New York Times For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Instead, he wants them to elect his handpicked challenger. 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. Guest: Robert Draper, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist for The New York Times.Caitlin O’Keefe, an audio producer on “The Daily.” Background reading:  In Kentucky, fidelity to Mr. Trump is once again on the ballot. Photo: Michael Swensen for The New York Times For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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A Trump Dissenter Fights for His Political Life

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This episode was published on May 19, 2026.

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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. Instead, he wants them to elect his handpicked...

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