Don’t be fooled: Marjorie Taylor Greene still wants to reconcile with Trump

There was a time when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) compared President Donald Trump to Jesus Christ and called him “the greatest President of my lifetime.”

Those days are over. As I wrote back in July, Greene has been increasingly critical of Trump’s second term in office: She has railed against his decision to launch strikes on Iran, his renewed support for Ukraine, and his backing of H-1B visas, which allow employers to sponsor immigrants for high-skill jobs, mostly in science and tech fields. Greene has alleged these decisions betray MAGA’s supposed “America First” philosophy. And while she has been calling for the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files for months now, she recently turned that talk into action, becoming one of only four Republicans to back a discharge petition that would force a vote requiring the DOJ to release the full files. (The petition finally got its last vote this past week, and the vote on the legislation is expected in the House on Tuesday.)

Greene’s critiques seem to have finally become too much for Trump to handle. On Friday night, the president officially disavowed Greene in a Truth Social rant, claiming, “all I see “Wacky” Marjorie do is COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN!” He went on to call her a “ranting Lunatic,” and claimed her change of heart “seemed to all begin when I sent her a Poll stating that she should not run for Senator, or Governor, she was at 12%, and didn’t have a chance (unless, of course, she had my Endorsement — which she wasn’t about to get!).” Greene ruled out runs for both offices earlier this year, and her current term in the House ends in 2027. But according to Trump, “if the right person runs” against her, “they will have my Complete and Unyielding Support.”

About 12 hours later, Trump couldn’t help but send one more break-up “Truth”: “Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Green is a disgrace to our GREAT REPUBLICAN PARTY!” he wrote.

Greene clapped back within the hour. “President Trump just attacked me and lied about me,” she wrote on X, attaching screenshots of texts she claimed were to him and his assistant explaining her calls to release the Epstein files. “Apparently this is what sent him over the edge.”

“I have supported President Trump with too much of my precious time, too much of my own money, and fought harder for him even when almost all other Republicans turned their back and denounced him,” Greene continued. “But I don’t worship or serve Donald Trump.”

In other posts, Greene claimed Trump was attacking her due to her refusal to take money from the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC and a bill she recently introduced seeking to end the H-1B visa program. Regardless of what caused the break-up, on Saturday, Greene wrote on X that she was receiving threats from people who were “being fueled and egged on by the most powerful man in the world. The man I supported and helped get elected.”

Apparently, these threats have been enough to force Greene—who, as my colleague David Corn has pointed out, previously liked social media posts calling for the executions of former House Speaker and current Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former President Barack Obama—to turn over a new leaf. On CNN on Sunday morning, she appeared with her tail between her legs. “I would like to say humbly that I’m sorry for taking part in the toxic politics,” Greene told host Dana Bash. “It’s very bad for our country. And it’s been something I’ve thought about a lot, especially since Charlie Kirk was assassinated.”

When Bash pressed Greene about her prior support for those violent social media posts, she replied: “Of course I never want to cause any harm or anything bad for anyone…I think America needs to come together and end all the toxic, dangerous rhetoric and divide, and I’m leading the way with my own example, and I hope that President Trump can do the same.”

But for all her claims that she has changed, Greene still seems to possess a fealty to Trump that she can’t entirely shake. When Bash asked Greene if she thought she and Trump could repair their relationship, Greene replied: “I certainly hope that we can make up…I’m a Christian, and one of the most important parts of our faith is forgiveness, and that’s something I’m committed to.”

Luckily for Greene, it seems that a reconciliation with Trump is not entirely implausible. Consider, for example, his reunion with Elon Musk. And Greene has long been arguing that criticism of Trump doesn’t mean she has abandoned MAGA, as I wrote in July:

Is the anger of MAGA and Greene a sign of a more lasting break with the president? Even with all the drama, it’s highly unlikely. According to Greene herself, dissent within MAGA isn’t proof of its weakness, but its supremacy. “Contrary to brainwashed Democrat boomers think and protest about, Trump is not a king, MAGA is not a cult, and I can and DO have my own opinion,” she wrote last month.

But whether Trump feels the same way remains to be seen.