US lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene, a prominent right-wing figure and MAGA loyalist, announced Friday that she is resigning from Congress, one week after former President Donald Trump withdrew his support.
In a video posted online, the 51-year-old Republican from Georgia, first elected in 2020, said she had “always been despised in Washington, DC and never fit in.” She added that she did not want her supporters and family 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.”
“I will be resigning from office with my last day being January 5, 2026,” Greene said.
The move underscores a growing split within the MAGA movement, which has been grappling with strong Democratic victories in this month’s off-year elections including the election of leftist New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who met with Trump earlier Friday.
The rupture appears tied to Greene’s vocal support for the release of emails and records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a financier who cultivated ties with business, political, and celebrity elites and was accused of trafficking girls and young women.
“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, whom I fought for,” Greene said in her resignation speech.
In a phone interview with ABC News, Trump called Greene’s resignation “great news for the country,” noting that she had not informed him beforehand but adding, “it doesn’t matter… I think she should be happy.”
Just this week, Congress passed and the president signed a law requiring government records on Epstein to be made public, following months of Trump attempting to keep them sealed. Greene had supported the release of these files, which reportedly contributed to the split.
Before his reversal, Trump had labeled Greene “‘Wacky’ Marjorie,” calling her a “lightweight” and even a “traitor” to the Republican Party on his Truth Social platform. Greene said she faced a wave of threats following the attacks.
Once a staunch Trump ally, Greene has been a leading voice on immigration restrictions, gun rights, and vaccine skepticism. The fallout with Trump comes amid criticism of his handling of US cost-of-living issues and the Epstein scandal.
Greene’s departure has sparked speculation about a potential 2028 presidential run, though she dismissed such rumors as “baseless gossip.” She leaves halfway through her third term in the House of Representatives and did not outline future plans in her resignation statement.
“Her split with Trump made her an even bigger national sensation,” observed the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Reflecting on her loyalty, Greene said, “I fought harder than almost any other elected Republican to elect Donald Trump and Republicans, spending millions of my own money along the way — unlike establishment Republicans who secretly hate him and who stabbed him in the back. My voting record has been solidly with my party and the president. Loyalty should be a two-way street.”
AFP
