MAGA rift grows as Trump feuds with ‘wacky’ Marjorie Taylor Greene
He also said he feared for his safety because “the threats against me were fueled and provoked by the most powerful man in the world.”
Trump supported Greene from the beginning
Greene isn’t the first lawmaker to earn Trump’s ire. But the divide between them is most notable in his second term. He has been closely associated with it since 2020, when he began his political career in rural northwest Georgia.
Greene, who has supported the QAnon conspiracy theory, appeared with white supremacists and brandishing assault rifles, was opposed by party leaders but supported by Trump. He describes her as a “future Republican Star” and “a true WINNER!” He described it as.
Georgia Republican Jason Shepherd, who resigned from party office amid disagreements with Trump supporters, said 2020 was a “perfect storm of political weirdness” amid the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Georgia was one of the most hotly contested states, with Trump discussing his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden, even pressuring the Georgia secretary of state to “find” enough votes to overturn the results.
“We never know what position Marjorie Taylor Greene will emerge in next,” said Shepherd, an attorney and political science professor who lives in the Greene district.
“I don’t know if he has any core beliefs other than the things that will help him the most,” he said.
Greene began her congressional tenure as Trump was leaving the White House and promoted the election lies that fueled the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. A despised target of liberals and a supporter of Trump-style conservatism, he has become a media fixture and a loyal lieutenant in Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign.
But tensions appeared to begin earlier this year when Greene explored a potential 2026 campaign against Jon Ossoff, one of Georgia’s two Democratic senators. Trump said he sent Greene a survey that showed she “doesn’t stand a chance.” He eventually conceded the race and later declined to run for governor of Georgia while attacking the political “good ole boy” system that he accused of jeopardizing Republicans’ control of the state.
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A new Greene?
Greene has recently struck a different, more conciliatory tone.
appeared on ABC AppearanceThe daytime talk show, seen as a safe space for Democrats, says “people with strong voices”, especially women, “need to lead a new path.”
This rhetoric fueled speculation that Greene might consider running for president herself, which was later denied by her boyfriend, Brian Glenn, a conservative reporter known for his friendly questioning of Trump.
Greene has also been critical of Trump, especially his work with other countries. Last month, Tucker told Carlson that the administration’s support for Argentina at a time when Americans are angry about prices for daily necessities was “a punch in the gut.”
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Greene is one of a handful of Republicans who support an effort to force the Justice Department to release more documents related to Epstein, a convicted sex offender with ties to some of the nation’s most powerful people. Trump has struggled to contain questions about his own connection to Epstein, who was found dead in his prison cell in 2019, which authorities ruled was a suicide.
Trump dismissed Greene’s criticism on Monday, telling reporters she “lost her way.”
Shawn Harris, a retired Army general and Democrat who lost to Greene in 2024, will run against her again in 2026. He said Greene’s change was part of her attention-seeking behavior.
“Marjorie always chooses to pick fights with people to stay in the news, and in the end it’s President Trump’s turn,” Harris wrote in a text message. “But neither of them has done a single thing for the hard-working people of northwest Georgia. With the way things have been going lately, it’s not clear his support will help anyone.”
Trump faces Democrats and Republicans in midterm elections
It is common for political coalitions to fray over time, especially as presidents serve their second terms and party members begin to think about a future without them.
Trump has mostly avoided this so far. He has flirted with the possibility of running for a third term despite a constitutional ban on term extensions, exerting a firm grip on the Republican-controlled Congress.
He faces a crucial political test next year as Democrats seek to regain control of the House of Representatives, giving them the power to block legislation and launch investigations into his administration.
The president is trying to improve his party’s chances by pressuring states to redraw congressional districts to benefit Republicans, but he is also trying to purge lawmakers he deems disloyal. Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky is already the target of a Trump-backed primary challenge, and Greene could be next if she and the president don’t compromise, as they occasionally do when Trump falls out with his allies.
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Although no one has immediately announced that they will enter the race, some are considering it.
Republican State Sen. Colton Moore from the district, who previously ran against Ossoff, criticized Greene. “I’m more upset with him than I am with President Trump, and he doesn’t care,” she said.
On Saturday, he was complaining about being “passed by” every time he called his office for help. He also praised Trump’s handling of the economy.
“I also have a passport with countries around the world that I visited last year,” he said. “They are all worse than the USA.”
Asked if he would challenge Greene, Moore said in a text: “I have one goal in life; to put America first.”
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