Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is charting a path for a post-Trump era, GOP observers say 

What’s going on with Marjorie? That’s the question President Donald Trump had reportedly been asking senior Republicans about Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene last month as she publicly disagreed with him over policies like Affordable Care Act subsidies and the genocide in Gaza, as she put it. More and more people are asking about the state […]

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks to reporters after a town hall in Cobb County. Greene, until recently known as a die-hard Trump supporter, has been on the outs with the president after publicly disagreeing with him over funding for Israel's military and, most recently, the release of the Epstein files. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

What’s going on with Marjorie?

That’s the question President Donald Trump had reportedly been asking senior Republicans about Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene last month as she publicly disagreed with him over policies like Affordable Care Act subsidies and the genocide in Gaza, as she put it.

More and more people are asking about the state of Greene’s goings-on as her feud with the president has erupted into what appears to be a messy breakup.

Trump publicly withdrew his support for Greene Friday in a social media post in which he called Greene “wacky” and “a ranting Lunatic” and pondered supporting a primary challenge against her.

“I understand that wonderful, Conservative people are thinking about primarying Marjorie in her District of Georgia, that they too are fed up with her and her antics and, if the right person runs, they will have my Complete and Unyielding Support,” Trump posted.

Greene responded with her own social media post the same day saying that the disagreement that caused Trump to withdraw his endorsement was her support for the release of files related to convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein, which Trump had opposed as a “Democrat Hoax.”

“It’s astonishing really how hard he’s fighting to stop the Epstein files from coming out that he actually goes to this level,” Greene wrote. “But really most Americans wish he would fight this hard to help the forgotten men and women of America who are fed up with foreign wars and foreign causes, are going broke trying to feed their families, and are losing hope of ever achieving the American dream.”

Trump has since reversed course and called for House Republicans to support the release of the files. Since Trump announced his support for releasing the files, Republican U.S. Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, both of whom are running for U.S. Senate in Georgia, said they back the push to release the files, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Greene – who has characterized Democrats as pedophiles trying to destroy America from within – also raised eyebrows in a Sunday interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, in which she apologized for “taking part in toxic politics” and pledged to tone down her rhetoric, citing the assassination of conservative pundit Charlie Kirk as helping to change her mind.

The district

In a statement Monday, the Georgia GOP chairman for Greene’s district, Jim Tully, expressed support and gratitude for Greene.

“While the President of the United States represents the nation as a whole, Congresswoman Greene represents the people of Northwest Georgia, and she has done so with clarity, resolve, and integrity,” Tully said. “Her willingness to speak candidly on behalf of her constituents, even in the face of political pressure, underscores her courage and her fidelity to her oath.”

State Rep. Kasey Carpenter, a Republican from Dalton who lives in and represents part of Greene’s district, said he doesn’t see Greene losing rank-and-file voters either.

“She’s going to lose some people that are drinking 100% of the Kool-Aid,” Carpenter said. “But I think at the end of the day, it gives her a broader appeal than before, because at the end of the day, I think the things that she’s saying and supporting are really things that our district supports, so she’s representing her people.”

Carpenter, whose district includes a large Latino population, has broken with his party on immigration issues and has faced kickback from his party for it, but he said voters ultimately value authenticity.

“I literally just think you do the best you can to represent your people, and sometimes you make ‘em mad, sometimes you don’t, you know?” he said. “But if they know your heart’s in the right place, they kind of work with you, and I think that’s what you’re seeing.”

Three Republicans have filed paperwork to challenge Greene in next year’s GOP primary: Uloma Ekpete, business owner Jefferson Edward Criswell and Federal Emergency Management Agency employee and entrepreneur Star Black, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

The three will likely have their work cut out for them. FEC data shows Black as the best-funded challenger with just over $78,000 cash on hand, compared with $809,000 in Greene’s campaign fund as of the end of September.

Greene’s ambitions

Greene is also a politician, and one who appears to have ambition beyond her district. She skipped the 2026 races for Georgia governor and U.S. senator after Trump urged her not to run.

“It seemed to all begin when I sent her a Poll stating that she should not run for Senator, or Governor, she was at 12%, and didn’t have a chance (unless, of course, she had my Endorsement — which she wasn’t about to get!),” Trump wrote in an online post.

Greene’s confrontational nature has made her a darling in her conservative district, but also a punchline in vote-rich areas with more moderate politics like the Atlanta suburbs, which could make it a challenge for her to win a statewide race.

Carpenter said he doesn’t have any insight into Greene’s plans, but that the desire to run for statewide office one day may be contributing to her actions.

“She realizes that, yes, she can win fine in the 14th because it’s grown up that way, but statewide, it’d be impossible,” he said. “So I do think that caused her to take a longer look – and I think Charlie Kirk had something to do with it – and let’s face it. Trump’s going to be gone in three years. So if you’re going to do this for longer than three years, you’d better find yourself, better find your own voice. So I think that’s what she’s doing.”

The politics

Division in the GOP makes for happy Democrats, and left-leaning politicos are giddy at the thought of a Trump-Greene brawl.

In an email to journalists, Kevin Donohoe of the Democratic Governors Association pondered the potential effects on Georgia’s governor’s race.

“Georgia GOP gubernatorial candidates Burt Jones, Brad Raffensperger, and Chris Carr have some major questions to answer as the Greene-Trump feud makes national news: Do they agree with Trump that Marjorie Taylor Greene is “wacky” and a ‘traitor?’ Are they concerned with Trump’s ‘unwarranted and vicious attacks’ that ‘divides our country even more,’ as Greene pointed out? Are they seeking Marjorie Taylor Greene’s endorsement?”

In a phone call, conservative radio host Martha Zoller said Democrats cheering on what they see as fractures in the conservative coalition are being overly optimistic. She characterized Greene’s actions as jockeying for influence.

“Obviously, once you’re (in power), then people start thinking about what’s next, whether it’s her, whether it’s JD Vance, whether it’s Marco Rubio, whether it’s anybody that’s involved in this orbit, people are probably starting to think about what’s next,” Zoller said.

Zoller said she has no indication of what Greene may be planning, but she’s taking a wait-and-see approach, including whether Greene’s actions match her words in the months ahead.

“One thing I like about what she’s doing is she’s admitted she made a mistake, and I think we need to do more of that as a people,” Zoller said. “We created this world where our leaders cannot admit they made a mistake, and we don’t give them the room to be able to do that. Maybe she’s going to start a trend.”

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