U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks, at a campaign event for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump, at the Johnny Mercer Theatre Civic Center in Savannah, Georgia, U.S. September 24, 2024.
Megan Varner | Reuters
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia announced on Friday night that she will resign her seat in the House of Representatives, with her last day in office being Jan. 5.
Greene’s announcement, in a video and statement posted on X, followed a dramatic break with President Donald Trump, which she cited as playing a role in her decision to leave Congress in the middle of her third term.
Green, 51, had been a leading supporter of Trump and a prominent figure in his Make America Great Again, or MAGA, movement, while sparking controversy for promoting conspiracy theories and using extreme rhetoric.
But she recently was harshly criticized by Trump, who called her a “traitor” and a “lunatic,” for, among other things, backing a bill to compel the Department of Justice to release investigative files about Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious sex offender.
Greene also has criticized the Republican president for what prioritizing meeting with foreign leaders at the expense of paying attention to the needs of Americans.
Trump on Nov. 14 said that he was withdrawing his support and endorsement of Greene, whom he called “Wacky” in a Truth Social post, and said that he would fully support “the right person” if they challenged her in the Republican primary next year.
In her statement on Friday night, Greene wrote, “I have too much self respect and dignity, love my family too much, and do not want my sweet district to have to endure a hurtful and hateful primary against me by the President we all fought for, only to fight and win my election while Republicans will likely lose the midterms.”
“And in turn, be expected to defend the President against impeachment after he hatefully dumped tens of millions of dollars against me and tried to destroy me,” Greene said.
“It’s all so absurd and completely unserious,” she wrote. “I refuse to be a ‘battered wife’ hoping it all goes away and gets better.”
Greene wrote that she had “fought harder than almost any other elected Republican to elect Donald Trump and Republicans to power,” and that she had left her mother’s side as her father had brain surgery to vote against Trump’s second impeachment by the House in 2021.
She said that her voting record “has been solidly with my party and the President,” with the exceptions of “a few areas” such as her stance against H1B visa recipients replacing American jobs, U.S. involvement in foreign wars, “and demanding the release of the Epstein files.”
“Loyalty should be a two way street and we should be able to vote our conscience and represent our district’s interest because our job title is literally, ‘Representative,'” she wrote.9:16
“Standing up for American women who were raped at 14, trafficked and used by rich powerful men, should not result in me being called a traitor and threatened by the President of the United States of America, whom I fought for.”
US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) speaks alongside former US President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump at a campaign event in Rome, Georgia, on March 9, 2024.
Elijah Nouvelage | AFP | Getty Images
Greene’s resignation from her seat representing Georgia’s 14th District could set the stage for her to seek to replace Trump in the White House in the 2028 election, and possibly become the next leader of the MAGA movement once he exits political life.
But Greene’s statement conceded that her resignation could end not only her congressional career but also her role in MAGA.
“If I am cast aside by MAGA Inc and replaced by Neocons, Big Pharma, Big Tech, Military Industrial War Complex, foreign leaders, and the elite donor class that can’t even relate to real Americans, then many common Americans have been cast aside and replaced as well.”
