Greene said her decision to step down was sparked by a public split with — and sharp criticism from — President Donald Trump
ATLANTA โ U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said her decision to step down from Congress in January stemmed from a dramatic split with former President Donald Trump and a series of threats she said were made against her and her family following his public criticism of her.
In an interview with 11Alive’s The Georgia Vote co-anchor Zach Merchant, Greene spoke about why she’s leaving office before the end of her term. She said the President’s social media post calling her a “traitor” โ despite her long record of supporting him โ ultimately sparked her decision to step down.
“Of course, definitely,โ Greene said when asked whether she felt betrayed by Trump. โThat’s exactly what it is but it’s just, it’s unbelievable that a president of the United States wants to go after someone that has been so loyal and has voted with him 98% of the time.โ
The rift emerged over Greeneโs decision to join a bipartisan push to force the public release of the Epstein files, a vote Trump had long opposed before ultimately backing.
Greene said the backlash intensified quickly following the president’s social media attacks.
She described receiving โdeath threats, a pipe bomb threat on my home, a pipe bomb threat on my family construction business, multiple pizza doxxing deliveries, and then ultimately very serious death threats on my own son.โ
She said the danger made her question whether remaining in office was worth risking her life or her familyโs safety — ultimately leading to her decision to resign.
“I think that comes to a point where any American can look at that and say that’s a high bar and way too much to ask,” she said.
โYou were legitimately afraid for your safety and your family’s safety after threats made against you following President Trump’s comments about you?โ Merchant asked.
โCertainly,โ Greene responded. โAnd unfortunately threats are something that everyone has had to deal with in this stage of extremely toxic politics on the left and the right.”
Greene expressed frustration at President Trump’s decision to label her a “traitor.” But the congresswoman took issue with questions about her own history of using the word.
Last year in a social media post, she called Republican Congressman Bob Good an “angry disloyal MAGA traitor.”
In another post in 2021 she called a group of GOP lawmakers who supported President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill “traitor Republicans.”
In recent interviews she has said she wants to move past the toxicity of the current political climate. 11Alive asked if she felt she should apologize for any role she has played in contributing to that discourse.
“This seems to be a popular question from everyone that is interviewing me and I’ve very much already addressed that,” responded Greene. “I don’t think it has to be said over and over again in every single interview I do but I’m sincere in my words. I think that America has been ripped apart by both sides of the aisle with toxic politics and it comes from both parties and members of both parties.”
11Alive asked Greene if she regretted any of her own past remarks.
โYes, I’ve already addressed this before and I’ll stand with what I’ve already said. I’ve also been the victim of it,โ she said. “I was actually accused by Democrats online of being the pipe bomber on January 5th, which was such an outrageous, dangerous lie that brought death threats on me back in ’21 and ’22. I’ve also been used many times and called a traitor by Democrats in fundraising emails and campaign ads. So again, I want to reiterate this is a two-way street and I seem to be the only one willing to take responsibility.”
When asked to elaborate on her comments and whether she’d apologize for her own remarks, Greene repeatedly declined saying she’d already addressed the issue before ultimately walking out of the interview.
Greene is set to leave Congress in January as the district prepares for a special election to fill her seat.
You can watch the full interview with Marjorie Taylor Greene below >>
