U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) addresses a campaign gathering for Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump, at the Johnny Mercer Theatre Civic Center in Savannah, Georgia, on September 24, 2024.
Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia declared on Friday her intention to step down from her position in the House of Representatives in early January, following a significant fallout with President Donald Trump regarding the Jeffrey Epstein documents and various other matters.
Greene pointed to Trump’s recent remarks about her — which included branding her as a “traitor” and a “lunatic” — in a video and a statement shared on X that indicated her final day in Congress would be January 5.
“Loyalty ought to be reciprocal, and we must have the freedom to vote our convictions and advocate for the interests of our district, as our role is literally ‘Representative,'” Greene stated, currently in her third term for Georgia’s 14th District.
Following her announcement, Trump communicated to an ABC News journalist, “That’s fantastic news for the country. Truly fantastic.”
Greene, who is 51 years old, had been a foremost advocate for Trump and a key figure in the Republicans’ Make America Great Again, or MAGA, initiative, while also causing controversies by endorsing conspiracy theories and employing extreme language.
However, in the last few weeks, Trump criticized her for supporting a legislation that would force the Department of Justice to make available investigative records concerning the infamous sex offender Epstein.
Greene has also drawn Trump’s discontent by condemning him for focusing on interactions with foreign leaders rather than addressing the concerns of American citizens.
Last week, Trump announced that he was retracting his support and endorsement of Greene, who was first elected in 2020, the same year he failed to win re-election against former President Joe Biden. He claimed he would fully endorse “the right candidate” if they mounted a challenge against her in the Republican primary next year.
In her statement on Friday evening, Greene remarked, “I possess too much self-respect and dignity, cherish my family far too much, and do not wish for my wonderful district to endure a painful and vicious primary against me instigated by the President we all supported, only to contend for and secure my re-election while Republicans will likely falter in the midterms.”
“Consequently, I would be expected to defend the President against impeachment after he maliciously spent tens of millions of dollars against me and attempted to obliterate me,” Greene indicated.
“This situation is utterly ridiculous and completely lacking seriousness,” she added. “I refuse to be a ‘battered wife’ hoping this situation will simply fade away and improve.”
Greene expressed that she had “fought harder than nearly any other elected Republican to secure Donald Trump and Republicans’ ascendancy,” and noted that she had left her mother’s side as her father was undergoing brain surgery to oppose Trump’s second impeachment by the House in 2021.
She stated that her voting history “has been consistently aligned with my party and the President,” with the exception of “a few matters” including her opposition to H1B visa holders taking American jobs, U.S. engagement in overseas conflicts, “and advocating for the release of the Epstein documents.”
“Defending American women who were assaulted at 14, trafficked, and exploited by affluent powerful men, should not lead to me being labeled a traitor and threatened by the President of the United States, whom I ardently supported.”
Greene’s resignation from her position could pave the way for her to aspire to succeed Trump in the White House in the upcoming 2028 elections, potentially establishing her as the next leader of the MAGA movement once he exits political life.
However, Greene’s statement acknowledged that her resignation might not only conclude her congressional tenure but also her participation within MAGA.
“If I am discarded by MAGA Inc and supplanted by Neocons, Big Pharma, Big Tech, the Military Industrial Complex, foreign leaders, and the elite donor class who cannot even relate to everyday Americans, then countless ordinary Americans have been similarly dismissed and replaced.”
Greene’s departure will further diminish the already slender Republican majority in the House.
At present, there are 219 Republican representatives and 213 Democratic representatives.
Nevertheless, the 14th District is highly conservative and is expected to elect a Republican to succeed Greene whenever a special election for her position is conducted.
