Just days before one of the nastiest Republican primaries in America, Rep. Thomas Massie is facing explosive backlash after appearing in a campaign video alongside a self-described antisemite tied to the infamous 2017 neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville.
And the timing could not be worse.
Massie — already under relentless attack from President Donald Trump and MAGA loyalists — posted a seemingly harmless campaign clip Monday showing himself casually playing banjo with a group of musicians.
“Pickin and grinnin!” the campaign account wrote cheerfully alongside the video.
But internet watchdogs quickly noticed someone sitting beside the Kentucky congressman.
According to the monitoring group Right Wing Watch, one of the guitar players in the clip was David Reilly — a figure with a deeply controversial history involving antisemitic rhetoric and extremist politics.
The revelation immediately ignited outrage online.
Reilly reportedly described himself publicly as an antisemite and once praised living in Boise because, according to past comments attributed to him, “there aren’t any Black people here.”
That quote alone sent social media into meltdown.
But the controversy did not stop there.
Reilly also reportedly attended the notorious 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville — the violent neo-Nazi gathering that shocked the country after white supremacists marched with tiki torches while chanting racist and antisemitic slogans.
The rally ultimately turned deadly after a counterprotester was killed.
Critics say Massie’s appearance alongside Reilly is politically catastrophic, especially given the congressman’s already explosive feud with Trump and the MAGA establishment.
Massie has increasingly become one of Trump’s biggest Republican headaches.
The libertarian-leaning Kentucky lawmaker angered Trump by repeatedly bucking him on major legislation and, most notably, by helping lead efforts to force the release of files connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
That move reportedly infuriated Trump allies and triggered an all-out political war against Massie.
Trump has since personally endorsed Massie’s primary challenger, former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, turning the Kentucky race into a national MAGA loyalty test.
Now this latest controversy threatens to hand Trump’s allies fresh ammunition.
Observers noted that the optics are devastating for a congressman already fighting accusations from critics that he has drifted toward fringe political territory.
And the attacks are becoming increasingly vicious.
According to reports, the Kentucky primary has spiraled into one of the ugliest intra-party battles in recent memory, complete with bizarre attack ads, accusations of antisemitism, and deeply personal smears.
Some Republicans fear the escalating chaos surrounding the race could fracture the GOP base even further heading into the midterm elections.
Meanwhile, critics argue the controversy highlights a growing normalization of extremist figures orbiting around parts of the modern far-right political ecosystem.
As of Monday evening, Massie had not publicly addressed the backlash surrounding Reilly’s appearance in the video.
But online reactions were immediate and brutal.
For many voters, the story has now become about far more than a banjo performance.
It has become another explosive chapter in the Republican civil war consuming Trump’s party from within.