American congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene announced on Friday night, in a video and a social media post, that on January 5th she will leave her seat. The House of Representatives has 435 members, who are also renewed every two years, so the vast majority of politicians come and go without much fanfare. However, Taylor Greene's fall is of enormous importance and repercussion, both for who she is and what she has done in the last five years, as well as for the reasons for her departure.
The congresswoman from Georgia has been, until very recently, the quintessential MAGA representative. A staunch supporter of the president, a blind believer in the QAnon conspiracy (about a supposed network of lizard men in the sewers, Satanism, pedophilia, and the Clinton family) and in all the conspiracy theories that emerged: from the belief that 9/11 was orchestrated, at least in part, by the federal government and there were no planes hitting the towers, to the idea that former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had been replaced by a double to hide her death. She also claimed that the wildfires in California were caused by a laser "emitted from space and controlled by a prominent family of Jewish bankers with connections to powerful Democrats," or that Bill and Hillary Clinton murdered John F. Kennedy Jr. for being a political rival. And, of course, that Barack Obama was not American and secretly practiced the Islamic faith.
The congresswoman has always been a harsh critic of immigration, equality and diversity policies, and the transgender community, which she saw as part of a plot to exterminate the heterosexual population. She was the most radical and uncontrolled voice in Congress, with a prepared response for anyone who dared to go against the Republican Party and its leader. One of the most controversial and aggressive figures, who now complains about the "endless personal attacks, death threats, legal warfare, and ridiculous slanders and lies" she endured while being in the front line.
Always jumping from one battle to another and leaving a trail of statements. But at the same time, a central figure in the MAGA universe. Engaged in the media, social networks, and attention, and completely indifferent to her legislative responsibilities. With the ability to set the agenda, mobilize masses, and with access to Trump (her partner is currently one of Trump's favorite journalists in the White House), with many followers and fans, immune to her constant mistakes, blunders, or absurdities.
In 2022, she referred to the leader of the Democrats, Nancy Pelosi, as the head of the "Gazpacho Police", confusing the food dish with the Gestapo. She said that joining the military was "a waste of life," or that it made no sense to vaccinate children against smallpox because it was "a sexually transmitted disease." Taylor Greene also believes that climate change is very good for health, that mass shootings are excuses for the government to try to take away citizens' guns, that the Capitol riot was "a small demonstration", and that aid to Ukraine should be cut immediately.
The congresswoman was the benchmark for MAGA purity. Until she was no longer. It was not an overnight change, but a progressive transformation. Disillusioned by Trump's role in the Epstein case, she seemed to see the light and fall off the horse. In recent weeks, she has been the talk of Washington. It was impossible to find a group where it wasn't said: "What's going on with Marjorie?"
It started and ended with the Epstein case, but it went further. She clearly positioned herself against the Gaza War and the unquestionable U.S. support for Israel. She apologized for her divisive role in society and her "toxic rhetoric" and demanded stronger regulation of artificial intelligence. She even praised Nancy Pelosi upon her retirement (one of Trump's obsessions) and presented herself not only as a disinformation spreader but as a victim of "rabbit holes," algorithms, and induced internet searches. She criticized Republicans for the Government shutdown and for not offering solutions to lower health insurance costs. And above all, she pointed to the president. A few days later, she is out.
In the initial weeks, Trump wanted to stay on the sidelines. But in the end, he got fed up. A few days ago, he started calling her Marjorie Traitor Greene, a "traitor" who had "lost her mind." After the criticisms came the attacks, the hatred, the threats. And the congresswoman who had most incited the masses began to feel the price of going against the leader. Days later, aware that she could not withstand the pressure, and that she could not win primaries with Trump against her, she stepped aside.
In a lengthy message, Taylor Greene lamented that "loyalty should be a two-way street, and we should be able to vote according to our conscience and represent the interests of our district." And she regretted that if she had been sidelined by "MAGA Inc.," it was indicative that "many ordinary Americans have also been neglected and replaced." Next year, Congress will be completely renewed and Greene said she was leaving because she did not want to endure "painful and hateful primaries against me by the president for whom we all fought, just to struggle and win my elections while Republicans will likely lose the midterm elections. I refuse to be a 'battered wife' hoping that everything will end and improve."
The president immediately celebrated her resignation. "It's good news for the country," he first said in an interview. "Marjorie Traitor Brown, due to the collapse of her poll numbers and because she did not want to face a strong Trump-backed opponent in the primaries (where she would have no chance of winning!), has decided to step down," he wrote on his social media this Saturday, mixing up the last names of his until very recently loyal ally. "Her relationship with the WORST Republican congressman in decades, Tom Massie of Kentucky, because he votes against the Republican Party (and against really good legislation!), did not help her. For some reason, mainly because I refused to return her endless barrage of calls, Marjorie went crazy. However, I will always appreciate her and thank her for her service to our country," he added.
The president thus makes it clear that those who oppose him will not be in the picture. Anyone who doubts his policies and does not follow his decisions receives insults first, then nicknames, and later the threat of being crushed. Each election is individual, but Trump has established that he will support (and his friends will finance) internal primaries before each election to defeat dissenters. And practically no one, except the aforementioned Tom Massie, fallen from grace and now a public enemy of the White House, dares to openly challenge the leader, fearful that it is almost impossible to maintain their seat.