Calling Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene "Wacky Marjorie" and declaring that he would support a challenger against her in the upcoming midterm elections "if the right person runs," President Donald Trump has openly broken with one of his most ardent MAGA world allies.
Greene was once the epitome of MAGA, wearing the iconic red cap for President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union speech and serving as a liaison between Trump and other Capitol Hill Republicans.
Her dismissal seemed to be the last straw in a dispute that had been simmering for months, as Greene appeared to have moderated her political profile.
The three term member of the US House has been increasingly critical of Republican leaders, criticising them during the recently concluded federal government shutdown and claiming that they need a strategy to assist those who are losing subsidies to purchase health insurance.
Trump stated that all he has seen from Greene in recent months is "COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN!" accusing the Republican from Georgia of moving "Far Left."
He also mentioned Greene's alleged annoyance that he doesn't return her calls, saying, "I can't take a ranting Lunatic's call every day." A message requesting comment late Friday was not immediately answered by a Greene representative.
Greene responded on X on Friday, claiming that Trump had "attacked me and lied about me." She sent a screenshot of a text message she claimed to have sent the president earlier in the day regarding the release of the Jeffrey Epstein papers, which she claimed "is what sent him over the edge."
Referring to the US House vote on the release of the Epstein files scheduled for next week, Greene described it as "astonishing really how hard he's fighting to stop the Epstein files from coming out that he actually goes to this level."
By stating that she had backed Trump "with too much of my precious time, too much of my own money, and fought harder for him even when almost all other Republicans turned their back and denounced him," Greene said, "I don't worship or serve Donald Trump."
Trump's statement appeared to tie a bow of finality on divisions that grew after this month's off cycle elections, where voters in the governorships of Virginia and New Jersey largely supported Democrats due to worries about living expenses.
Greene told NBC News last week that "watching the foreign leaders come to the White House through a revolving door is not helping Americans," arguing that Trump should prioritise domestic pricing increases over his recent focus on global policy. In response, Trump claimed that Greene had "lost her way."
When asked about Greene's remarks earlier on Friday while flying from Washington to Florida, Trump reiterated that he felt "something happened to her over the last month or two," claiming that jobs in Georgia and elsewhere would have suffered if he hadn't traveled to China to meet with leader Xi Jinping because China would have continued to impose restrictions on magnet exports.
"She's lost a wonderful conservative reputation," Trump continued, adding that he has been receiving calls from individuals who want to challenge Greene.
Greene's dissatisfaction began at least in May, when she declared she would not challenge Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff for the Senate and attacked GOP advisors and funders who thought she wouldn't win.
She openly sided with Tucker Carlson in June after Trump referred to the pundit as "kooky" in a rift between national security hardliners and MAGA on potential American attempts to overthrow the Iranian regime.
When Greene declared in July that she would not run for governor, that only became worse. She then criticized a political "good ole boy" structure, claiming it threatened Republican dominance in the state.
In recent weeks, Greene has launched a charm offensive, targeting non Trump supporters with media appearances and interviews. In October, Greene responded to a question about her desire to run for president in 2028 on comedian Tim Dillon's podcast by saying, "I hate politics so much" and that she only wanted "to fix problems," but she did not provide a clear response.
This culminated in an appearance on Bill Maher's HBO program "Real Time," which was followed a few days later on November 4 by an appearance on ABC's "The View."
As Greene criticised Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana for failing to invite Republicans back to Washington and develop a health care package, some commentators started to label her as moderate.
She has also disagreed with Trump on matters such as a suggestion to support Argentina and the disclosure of documents pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein.
"I feel like I'm sitting next to a completely different Marjorie Taylor Greene," co host Sunny Hostin of "The View" remarked. "Maybe you should become a Democrat, Marjorie," co-host Joy Behar remarked. "I'm not a Democrat," Greene answered. "I think both parties have failed."
