It was supposed to be easier than this: On Thursday night, after a series of dramatic twists and turns, Trump gave the Freedom Caucus a "lose-lose" ultimatum (which is damned if it votes against the GOP health plan as it would be singled out as responsible for scuttling Trump's promised Obamacare repeal; and damned if it votes for the bill as the Caucus' conservative electors will bail in droves) which at least the market believes will push the vote through.

However, if the following very direct message to the president, just tweeted by one of the more vocal members of the Freedom Caucus, is any indication, the market may once again be unduly optimistic as Trump's ultimatum appears to have backfired with at least one conservative Republican:

This is what Rep. Thomas Massie tweeted moments ago: "If Exec branch tells Legislative branch "when 2 vote" "how 2 vote" & "what it will b allowed 2 work on if vote fails," is that a republic?"

If Exec branch tells Legislative branch "when 2 vote" "how 2 vote" & "what it will b allowed 2 work on if vote fails," is that a republic? — Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) March 24, 2017

Should other members of the Caucus share Massie's sentiment and feel compelled to join him, Trump's last ditch gamble for a successful vote after the close on Friday, may yet backfire bigly.