Influential right-wing US lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene announced Friday that she will resign from Congress, a week after former President Donald Trump withdrew his support for the Georgia Republican. His last day in office will be January 5, 2026.
In a video posted online, the 51-year-old congresswoman, elected in 2020, said she had “always been despised in Washington DC and had never fit in.”
Greene added that she didn’t want her supporters and family to endure “a hurtful, hateful primary against me from the president we all fought for, only to fight and win my election while the Republicans will likely lose the midterm elections.”
The resignation marks the clearest sign yet of a growing divide in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, which has been shaken by strong Democratic victories in this month’s off-year elections, including by left-leaning New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who met with Trump earlier on Friday.
Greene’s break with Trump appeared to be related to her about-face in releasing emails related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein, a wealthy financier, had cultivated ties with elite politicians, business leaders, academics and celebrities, and was accused of trafficking girls and young women for sexual purposes.
Greene referenced the issue in her resignation speech.
“Standing up for American women who were raped at age 14, trafficked and used by rich and powerful men should not result in the president of the United States, who I fought for, calling me a traitor and threatening me,” Greene said.
Trump, in a telephone interview with ABC NewsHe described Greene’s resignation as “great news for the country,” adding that she had not warned him but “it doesn’t matter… I think she should be happy.”
Earlier this week, Congress passed and Trump signed a law requiring government records on Epstein to be made public, after months of the former president trying to block their release.
Before changing his position, Trump had withdrawn all support for Greene, whom he nicknamed “Wacky Marjorie,” and attacked her in Truth Social as a “lightweight” and “traitor” to the Republican Party. Greene subsequently reported receiving a wave of threats.
Greene, a prominent MAGA ally, had defended Trump’s agenda, advocated for immigrant deportation, gun rights and vaccine skepticism.
The split comes amid criticism of Trump over the cost of living in the United States and the Epstein scandal. Greene’s departure sparked speculation that she could run for president in 2028, which she dismissed as “baseless gossip.”
In her resignation speech, Greene highlighted her loyalty to Trump and the Republican Party. He said he “fought harder than almost any other elected Republican to elect Donald Trump and the Republicans,” spending “millions” of his own money.
Greene also contrasted herself with “establishment Republicans who secretly hate him and stabbed him in the back.” He emphasized: “My voting record has been solidly favorable to my party and the president. Loyalty should be a two-way street.”
