Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) salutes former President Donald Trump during a rally in Commerce, Georgia, U.S. on March 26, 2022.
Alyssa Poynter | Reuters
President Donald Trump on Saturday responded to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s surprise announcement of her resignation, saying, “Marjorie has become the worst.”
President Trump once again called the Georgia Republican a “traitor,” citing Greene’s alliance with Republican Representative Tom Massie of Kentucky, the sponsor of a bill calling for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files by the Justice Department.
Greene, a longtime Trump ally, said in a statement that her last day in the House would be Jan. 5, citing the president’s opposition to supporting the bill.
“Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Brown has decided to ‘resign’ due to her plummeting poll numbers and her unwillingness to face a primary challenger who is strongly pro-Trump (no chance there!),” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social early Saturday morning.
“Her relationship with Tom Massie of Kentucky, the worst Republican congressman in decades, also known as Rand Paul Jr. because he votes against Republicans (and really good bills!), hasn’t helped her,” Trump said.
“For some reason, primarily because I refused to respond to her constant barrage, Marjorie became ill,” he wrote.
“Nevertheless, I will always be grateful to Marjorie and appreciate her contributions to our country.”
Until recently, Trump had opposed legislation that would have required the release of the Epstein files. This week, the bill passed the House nearly unanimously and the Senate unanimously passed it. The president then signed it into law.
President Trump spoke about Greene in an interview with NBC News late Saturday morning, saying it was “not going to be easy” for her to have a future in Republican politics.
President Trump told NBC, “I’d love to see it.”
“She has to get some rest,” he said.
Asked if he thought he could reconcile with Greene, Trump said: “I can make up my differences with anyone.”
President Trump said last week that he would support “the right person” to challenge Greene for Georgia’s 14th District seat in next year’s Republican primary.
“I have too much self-respect and dignity, and I love my family too much,” Greene wrote in her resignation statement Friday night. “I have too much self-respect and dignity, and I love my family too much. I don’t want my sweet district to endure a bitter, hate-filled primary against me by a president we all fought for, only to win my election while the Republican Party is likely to lose the midterm elections.”
“And now we’re expected to protect the president from impeachment after he spent tens of millions of dollars on me in a hateful way and tried to destroy me,” Greene said.
“I refuse to be a ‘battered wife’. I hope everything goes away and gets better.”
“Standing up for American women who were raped at age 14, trafficked, and exploited by the wealthy and powerful should not lead to me being called a traitor or being threatened by the president of the United States for whom I fought.”
