As you’ve probably noticed, there’s something a little different these days about Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of the Republican House’s biggest Trump acolytes and supporters, noted fan of crazy conspiracy theories, and favorite punching bag of the left.
The one-time promoter of the belief that “Jewish space lasers” contributed to California’s wildfires, who used to refer to Donald Trump as her “favorite president,” is acting strangely. She’s criticizing her party. She’s threatening Trump. She’s going on CNN.
This has led some to marvel at the perceived evolution from loony tune to voice of reason, with one opinion writer at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution showering her with praise:
“After being underestimated and caricatured for nearly her entire time in public office, US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has emerged as a singular Republican voice in Washington willing to speak truth to power, her own party politics be damned.”
Let’s not get carried away.
Greene is still Greene. Just days ago, she was posting unhinged and paranoid rants about “perverse” Spanish-language singer Bad Bunny, calling for Congress to pass her bill to make English the official language of the United States, and the NFL to “stop having demonic sexual performances during its halftime shows.”
This week she’s taking credit for the release of short-lived Republican Congressman George Santos, a world class liar who admitted to campaign finance fraud, unemployment insurance fraud, credit card fraud, identity theft, and misuse of campaign funds to buy designer clothes and botox.
And earlier this year, she said Pope Francis had been controlled by Satan, and held a hearing on “weather modification,” alleging the government was trying to “play God with the weather.”
She’s also still denying accusations of insider trading, after her stock in Palantir Technologies went up 142% since she invested in April, just days before ICE awarded the company a $30 million contract. She’s a member of the committee that oversees ICE.
Let’s not pretend Marge has had an epiphany that’s somehow made her sane and principled. She’s still crazy and craven.
So what IS going on with her?
In the past few months she’s sounded a lot more like a Never Trumper than the woman who was famously photographed on the House floor handing her phone with the president’s initials “DT” on the screen to another Rep. during the Kevin McCarthy speaker crisis, appearing to be Trump’s consiglieri in Congress.
She’s criticized an order from Trump looking to expand AI.
She’s complained that Trump’s bailout of Argentina is “America last,” and is part of a “revolving door at the White House of foreign leaders when Americans are…screaming from their lungs.”
She’s broken with her party on Trump’s Iran strikes.
She’s joining Democrats in calling the situation in Gaza a “genocide.”
She’s also joined the left in calling for an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies during the government shutdown.
She’s chided Republican men in Congress for being “weak.”
And most notably, she’s continued to demand the House vote to require the Justice Department to release the Epstein files.
She addressed the sudden acts of independence in an interview a couple weeks ago, saying, “I’m not some sort of blind slave to the president, and I don’t think anyone should be. I serve in Congress. We’re a separate branch of the government, and I’m not elected by the President. I’m not elected by anyone who works in the White House. I’m elected by my district. That’s who I work for, and I got elected without the president’s endorsement, and, you know, I think that has served me really well.”
Sure…but the Trump/Greene relationship status isn’t explained that simply. It’s complicated. And you won’t be surprised to learn, it’s personal and petty.
Greene’s lofty version of events belies some decidedly ignoble self-interest, rooted in her expanding ambitions and subsequent hurt feelings when Trump and the party thwarted them.
Here’s the backstory.
Greene wanted to run for Senate in Georgia in an attempt to beat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in next year’s midterms.
But in early May she announced she would not, in a long and rambling post that shed some light on her decision. In it, she accused “ultra-rich [Gov. Brian] Kemp donors” of wanting to “anoint their preferred candidate,” who “can dress up in MAGA just enough to trick the grassroots into thinking they’re one of us.”
She railed against everyone from the “political consultants embedded in the White House,” “scam” polling firms “already working against me,” the NRSC for “pushing a public poll of just 800 people claiming only certain Republicans can win,” “most elected Republicans propped up by consultants and rich donors,” “a pack of Republican Senators [that] always votes ‘no’ on the bills that matter most,” Sens. Mitch McConnell and Susan Collins, and “a team that refuses to win, that protects its weakest players, and that undermines the very people it’s supposed to serve.”
And she didn’t spare Trump, either: “Soon enough, the booze will flow again at the country clubs and Mar-a-Lago, and the consultants will chase another cycle’s cash. But after Republicans raise taxes and close your loopholes, you might realize – too late – you joined the wrong team.”
She signed off, “Good luck,” as if her seething resentment hadn’t been made clear enough.
She reportedly turned her attention to a possible Governor’s race, but just months after announcing she wouldn’t run for Senate, she announced she wouldn’t run for the statehouse either.
In ANOTHER long and rambling post, she explained her decision:
“I am humbled and grateful by the massive statewide support that I have to run for Governor, and if I wanted to run we all know I would win. It’s not even debatable. And only because of that massive statewide support is why I ever considered it in the first place.
Georgia is long controlled by the good ‘ole boy system and that very established ‘Men Only’ Republican firm is unfortunately over seeing [sic] the slow slide from red to blue.
The state of affairs in Georgia concern me and I will leave it at that.
And one day, I might just run without the blessing from the good ‘ole boys club or the out of state consulting leaches or even without the blessing of my favorite President.”
So far, her threats to go rogue don’t seem to be worrying Speaker Mike Johnson, who responded to her criticism of Republican leadership dismissively, saying, “I try not to react to what Marjorie Taylor Greene says every day.”
As for Trump, who famously has little patience for dissension, he hasn’t said anything publicly about Greene, but reportedly called up two senior Republicans in leadership to ask, “What’s going on with Marjorie?”
In a new interview today, Greene’s insisting this is all about voters and principles, and not her personal grievances and ambitions:
“I actually ran for Congress in 2020 angry with Republicans in Congress – which is pretty much where I’m at now again. I’m mad about a lot of things and I’m not going to stop talking.”
Sounds good – but let’s not forget who MTG is, and what she wants, which is ultimately more power, status, and celebrity.
Can she chase all that AND stay on Trump’s good side? I seriously doubt it.
She’s full of it. She wants to be politically relevant in the future. Let’s not get carried away here and think she a decent human-she is not. A lying con is a lying con is a lying con
So nice of Trump to pardon Santos for her - got her back in line