On NBC's Meet the Press Sunday, Massie gave an open-ended answer when asked about his political future and whether that could include a campaign for president.
"I will not rule out anything and right now I'm not going to rule in anything," he replied.
But on Monday, the outgoing Republican congressman had already filed to run in 2028. Massie said the move permits him to raise funds to continue his political operations as a current office holder and as a potential candidate for federal office, adding that he had not yet decided which office to seek.
A push for the top office would make him the second Kentucky Republican weighing a campaign for the GOP nomination. Sen. Rand Paul is also considering another presidential run.
Asked why he thought he lost the hard-fought and historically pricey primary last week, Massie first pointed to his partnership with California Rep. Ro Khanna.
"The biggest crime I committed against the swamp... was showing the American people that somebody on the right could join somebody on the left and get something done... releasing the Epstein files, which everybody knew needed to be done," he said. "That's probably the only bill that passed Washington, D.C. in the last ten years lobbyists haven't written."
The congressman has pledged to stay engaged in his remaining months in office, accusing Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche of violating the Epstein law he co-authored by not releasing remaining tranches of material.
With regard to the approaching midterms, Massie worries the president's efforts to oust political rivals could backfire at the ballot box.
"What's going to happen to the party this fall is they disenfranchised a large portion of that constituency that Trump assembled to get us in the White House, in the Senate majority, and in the House majority," the congressman said. "They've alienated MAHA by kowtowing to the pesticide manufacturers and the pharmaceutical manufacturers. They've alienated the fiscal hawks by running DOGE out of town. They've alienated the people who don't want to fight another war for other countries."
Still, Massie's 55-45 primary loss signaled that the Republican base may have more of an appetite for candidates who are in lockstep with the president.