After her clash with Donald Trump, Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene has once again publicly distanced herself from the position of US President. At the same time, he called for an end to “toxic and dangerous rhetoric” in the US – with which he has been implicated.
Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is considered a staunch supporter of US President Donald Trump – and is one of the best-known figures in the MAGA (“Make America Great Again”) movement. Last week there was a public dispute with the US President over the handling of the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Greene has now used an interview with TV channel CNN to distance herself from Trump again – and at the same time admit that she herself has contributed to the brutalization of political rhetoric in the US. “I want to humbly apologize for engaging in this toxic policy; it’s been terrible for our country,” Greene said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “It’s something I think about a lot, especially since Charlie Kirk was murdered.”
When asked about the brutality of the debate, the lawmaker said: “This has been going on for years, and it has divided our country and divided friends, family and neighbors. And it has not solved our problems.” When CNN journalist Dana Bash stated that she did not defend herself against the president’s attack until after she was hit, Greene said the accusation was “fair criticism.” But he is now determined to “put the knife in politics” and stressed the need to find “a new way forward”. “As Americans, no matter what political spectrum we fall on, we have more similarities than differences, and we should be able to respect each other with our differences.”
The split with Trump was sparked by a dispute over the so-called Epstein dossier. The House of Representatives will vote this week on releasing documents in the case of a convicted sex offender. In contrast to the election campaign, Trump has so far shown no willingness to take part in the investigation and denies having any close ties to the sex offender who died in custody in 2019. However, recently published emails and documents also allow us to draw other conclusions. Apart from that, a number of videos and photos from previous years show the two together.
Greene has committed to releasing files on the Epstein case and supports the opposition Democratic Party’s push for the House of Representatives to vote on a request for them to be released.
“I don’t believe people in power should be protected”
In an interview with CNN, he emphasized that he is committed to transparency and “will not apologize for it.” “I support these women. I support rape victims, children who experience (…) sexual abuse, I support survivors and victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.” The country deserves transparency in this matter. “And I don’t believe rich and powerful people should be protected when they make mistakes.” As before, Greene reiterated that the question that arises is why the release of the files was “fought so hard.”
At the same time, he did not know the contents of the file and referred to the statements of Epstein’s victims, including Virginia Giuffre, who committed suicide in April. Giuffre “said under oath that Donald Trump did nothing wrong,” Greene said.
Trump publicly withdrew his support for Greene last week, denouncing her as a “ranting lunatic” who had drifted “far to the left.” On Saturday, the US President followed up and called Greene a “traitor”.
Greene denies the allegations. He was deeply hurt by being called a “traitor.” This is “absolutely wrong” and dangerous because such words can turn people against him and endanger their lives. Over the weekend, Greene spoke on “X” about the hostility toward him and said he had received warnings from private security companies about the threats. The threats against him were instigated by “the most powerful man in the world.”
At the same time, Greene steadfastly rejected speculation that Trump had urged her not to run for Senate or governor of Georgia. Such conversations “never” took place – such accusations were “not true”. He has no intention of running for Senate or governor, but wants to continue carrying out his mandate for the state of Georgia.
Criticism of Trump
In terms of content, Greene differentiates herself from the president in several ways. H-1B visas for foreign workers and the idea of bringing “600,000 Chinese students” to the U.S. that Trump has advocated “are not America First positions,” Greene said. She has also criticized Trump’s foreign policy — including in connection with Trump’s reception of interim Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House last week, whom Greene condemned as an “al-Qaeda terrorist” because of his Islamist past.
“With MAGA, the American people voted to make it a priority to stop providing foreign aid and getting involved in foreign wars. The cost of living is too high. Health insurance is completely out of control,” Greene said. The American people have the right to be “first.” “And I think President Trump can do that if he refocuses his efforts. Even if he attacks me, I want him to succeed for the sake of the American people.”
When asked whether reconciliation with the president was possible, Greene said: “I really hope we can get along again.” America must unite and “end the toxic and dangerous rhetoric.” He wants to set a good example and hopes Trump can “do the same.” As a Christian, he believes in “forgiveness.”
Convicted sex offender Epstein was found dead in his New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting his next trial. According to authorities, he committed suicide. According to the investigation, Epstein had been abusing underage girls and young women for years and passing it on to celebrities.
dp with AFP
