What’s going on with Marjorie Taylor Greene? Why pro-MAGA won some Democratic fans | Marjorie Taylor Greene
For years she was one of Donald Trump’s most loyal foot soldiers. Marjorie Taylor Greene has trafficked in racist remarks, indicated her support for executing Democrats, and even floated conspiracy theories about Jewish space lasers. Under her red “Make America Great Again” hat, she became the instantly recognizable face of the MAGA movement.
However, in recent months, the Georgia congresswoman has surprised friends and foes alike. On issues ranging from health care to Gaza to the Jeffrey Epstein files, I broke ranks With Republicans, he won unexpected audiences among Democrats. The Independence series has sparked speculation about her motives and future ambitions.
It is worth noting that Greene stopped short of directly criticizing Trump himself and has so far avoided angering the president. But her willingness to break from the party line has become more apparent under a president known for valuing loyalty and punishing critics.
“I Was Wrong About Marjorie Taylor Greene,” ran one newspaper headline Atlanta Journal-Constitution article Last week, political columnist Patricia Murphy wrote: “Even if you don’t agree with Greene on everything – or even most things – you have to admire her willingness in this moment to say what’s right, even when other Republicans won’t. Maybe it’s career suicide, or maybe leadership.”
Greene has long enjoyed her role as a far-right agitator. I drove Prison visits to rioters He was arrested after the January 6 insurrection, called for the impeachment of Joe Biden, and at last year’s State of the Union address, confronted Biden while wearing a MAGA hat and interrupted him during his speech.
But since Trump returned to office, the 51-year-old has become increasingly rogue in domestic and foreign policy. She criticized White House plans to send “billions of dollars” worth of weapons to Ukraine, and departed from long-standing GOP support for Israel by calling its war in Gaza “genocide.”
She was one of only four Republicans to sign the petition to release files related to Epstein, the sex offender, which Trump has repeatedly dismissed as a “hoax.” Speaking at a press conference with Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, she insisted, “The truth must come out. The government has the truth.”
Greene was among the most vocal critics of House Speaker Mike Johnson’s stance during the federal government shutdown, arguing that Republicans should be in Washington instead of indefinitely recessing and that they are the ones with the power to end the crisis.
She too Stand with the Democrats They seek to continue the pandemic-era temporary expansion of the Affordable Care Act’s premium subsidies to help Americans pay for upcoming insurance rate increases.
In a lengthy message on social media, Green wrote: “I will disagree with everyone on this issue because when the tax breaks end this year, my adult children’s premiums for 2026 will double, along with all the wonderful families and hard-working people in my district.
“No, I’m not toeing the party line on this, or playing loyalty games. I’m a Republican and I won’t vote for illegal immigrants to get any taxpayer-funded health care or benefits. I’m just America!!! I’m making my own way.”
It’s a battle over the meaning of MAGA. Greene denies that she is turning against her party. she Hill’s website said This week: “I am 100% the same person today as I was when I ran for Congress.” Indeed, her voting record in Congress remains closely aligned with Trump. But it claims to remain true to its populist roots by siding with its voters against the elites.
Andra Gillespie“Marjorie Taylor Greene is a very complex person and she is a complex politician who seems to make interesting choices,” said the political scientist at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Overall, she remains a Trump-supporting Republican as defined by MAGA.
“That’s what gives her the freedom to be able to deviate from the party line and deviate from the Trump line when she thinks it’s helpful to do so. One of the interesting things about how she does that is that she basically invokes a delegate style act when she does that.”
The Guardian put Green’s political instincts to the test in a series of interviews with voters and found concern about sharp increases in health insurance premiums if the subsidy falls.
“We’ve worked all our lives and their prices keep going up,” said Pete Van Horn, a retired Republican. “It’s not right. We’ve got to get a break somewhere.”
Pat Hyman, a retired teacher from Calhoun, Georgia, said of Greene: “She’s taking it a little hard but I basically agree with her. You know the health care system needs an overhaul. I’m on Medicare and Blue Cross-Blue Shield, and we’re fine with that. But young couples? For me, that’s more work than just taking care of them.” [them]”.
“I think Marjorie Taylor Greene is hilarious,” laughed Michael Ross, an electrician from Floyd County, Georgia. “I’ll probably vote for her again. I’ll be honest with you. I don’t know what she thinks, but I like to see things controversial.”
He added: “I love her stirring the pot. Is she crazy? Maybe she is crazy. I don’t know. She has more information than I got. Like I said: I like to see the pot stir.”
In the eyes of some observers, Green’s position is not so surprising. Notice that Republicans have It was never intended To small government, as the mythology of Ronald Reagan suggests. They argue that Greene is consistent with the economic populism of the modern Republican Party, including Trump’s thinking.
Henry Olsen“There are certainly many smaller government conservatives, but she is far from the lone wolf here,” said she, a senior fellow at the Center for Ethics and Public Policy think tank in Washington.
“On the issue of supporting working-class and middle-class Americans through government action, she probably speaks for a very large segment of Republicans, a large group of people who would be MAGA rather than the old Republican guard.”
Others suggest that Greene may have more personal motives for speaking out. She reportedly began exploring the possibility of running for Georgia governor or senator next year, but the White House rejected her on the basis of a poll that showed her split would jeopardize statewide seats.
Jeff TimmerThe executive director of the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump group, believes Greene’s new willingness to speak out “can be attributed more to a woman scorned than to the development of human goodness in Marjorie Taylor Greene.”
“They didn’t want her to run away; she’s got a pound of flesh,” he said. “You wanted to put your thumb on me and you thought I’d just play the loyal soldier?” “Okay, I’ll challenge you on some basic stuff like the Epstein files or Medicare and Medicaid.”.“
However, Greene was eager to continue expressing his support for Trump. She has avoided — at least so far — an insult-laden rebuke on social media, which could spell the beginning of the end for her career, as happened for many Republicans during the president’s first term.
Her stance may encourage other Republicans to be cautious Testing the limits of opposition. Maine Sen. Susan Collins criticized the administration’s handling of the shutdown and took aim at Budget Director Ross Vaught for permanently laying off thousands of federal employees.
Recently, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas compared comments from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr – who hinted at punitive action against broadcasters – to “mafia tactics.”
Outside Capitol Hill, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt told the New York Times that he opposed Trump’s move to send National Guard troops from Texas to Illinois as a violation of “states’ rights.” Utah Governor Spencer Cox used the X to register his own protest, in which he condemned the administration’s cancellation of the largest solar project in North America.
“What Marjorie Taylor Greene is offering is a challenge to the narrative that Republicans are a monolithic bloc at this point,” commented Emory University’s Gillespie. “Yes, Trump has consolidated power. Certainly the ideology in MAGA, in the Republican coalition, has shifted toward the right and we’ve seen politicians adapt to that.”
“But the Republican Party still has some heterogeneity even as it is conservative, so we will see people deviate from the party. The question is: When and under what circumstances will Republicans completely deviate from the Trump agenda and oppose the Trump administration in a way that lasts more than a week or two?”