Thomas Massie
Ivan Raiklin—long known for promoting retaliation campaigns against Donald Trump’s critics under the self-appointed title “Secretary of Retribution”—is now publicly blasting the president across social media.
Raiklin became a prominent Trump ally after promoting efforts to overturn the 2020 election and branding himself Trump’s would-be “Secretary of Retribution. ”Writing on X on May 19, Raiklin delivered a direct and unambiguous message about the president.
“Trump has betrayed Massie and KY-04,” he wrote. GOP Rep. Thomas Massie has been a vocal critic of Trump, leading the bipartisan charge to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. Apart from forcing the Epstein files release, he voted against the president’s signature “One Big Beautiful Bill,” and slammed Trump’s joint U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
Because of his vocal opposition to the president, Massie’s Kentucky seat has become a prime target for Trump and his allies. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images As a result, the seven-term congressman lost his primary on Tuesday to Trump-backed Republican challenger Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL and farmer who pledged to help the president advance his agenda.
In another post, Raiklin wrote, “the coalition that got Trump elected in 2024 is breaking ranks to support Massie over Israel, errr Trump,” pointing to rising frustration inside parts of the MAGA movement over Trump’s stance on Israel and his attacks on Massie. The day before that, Raiklin mocked Trump as “Israeli President, Donald Trump” while criticizing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for campaigning against Massie in support of Gallrein.
Hegseth has faced allegations that his support for Gallrein in the GOP primary against Massie may run afoul of the Hatch Act, which restricts most executive branch officials from engaging in partisan political activity using their official roles or government resources, following his attendance at a campaign event for the former Navy SEAL. The Pentagon insisted that Hegseth attended the event in a “personal capacity.
” Raiklin’s criticism of the president comes at a time when Trump is facing declining approval ratings over his handling of the economy and the deeply unpopular war in Iran, with independent voters turning against him. Polls have also shown some key parts of Trump’s base turning against him, including non-college-educated White voters, Hispanic voters, and non-MAGA Republicans.
Raiklin was one of the architects of the “Stop The Steal” movement, collecting the names of 350 people he suggested should be investigated or prosecuted if Trump returned to power. The list reportedly spanned a wide range of figures, including Democratic and Republican officials, journalists described as Trump’s “political enemies,” U.S. Capitol Police officers, and individuals who testified in Trump’s impeachment proceedings and the Jan. 6 investigations.
Among the roughly 450 names cited were former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, ex-FBI Director James Comey, former GOP Speaker Paul Ryan, and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Raiklin has also claimed these individuals should be detained by local sheriffs on accusations such as treason and sedition—offenses that can carry the death penalty.
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