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Massie blasts AI ad as 'disgusting and defamatory'

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-KY, speaks to reporters after a Kentucky Educational Television (KET) debate, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Jon Cherry/AP
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FR171965 AP
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-KY, speaks to reporters after a Kentucky Educational Television (KET) debate, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)

Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie is calling out a negative ad that uses AI to accuse him of partnering with progressive Democrats to thwart President Donald Trump's agenda.

The ad in question, produced by MAGA KY, features AI-generated images of Massie holding hands, dining, and then in a hotel lobby with Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — edited in the style of an expose.

"Thomas Massie, caught in a throuple, in Washington," the narrator says. "He's cheating with the squad on the America First movement."

In a social media post, the Kentucky congressman locked in a primary battle with a Trump-pickedopponent says the spot "reeks of desperation," adding the hope is that older generations won't recognize it as AI content. Massie went on to describe the tactic as "disgusting and defamatory."

The ad comes just weeks from the May 19 primary, which will test Trump's grip on state races as his favored candidate, Ed Gallrein, goes up against Massie, a well-known Republican incumbent who has bucked the administration on issues where he argues MAGA has strayed from conservative principles.

The ad also comes on the heels of an Indiana election that could bode well for Gallrein. A majority of the seven state senators on the ballot Tuesday who faced Trump-backed challengers lost their primaries.