Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene chronicled her political journey from a diehard ally of President Donald Trump to someone he labeled a traitor, saying “MAGA is dead” at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin. Greene, who described herself as “politically homeless,” resigned her House seat earlier this year after a series of public spats with Trump that escalated into death threats against her family.
“I think Trump has lied so much to us and betrayed us so incredibly beyond any of my comprehension,” Greene said at the festival, according to HuffPost. “I think MAGA is dead.” The audience cheered.
Despite her break from Trump, Greene called herself a believer in the America First movement that Trump coined, describing it as a smaller coalition than the broader Make America Great Again movement that backs the president. The larger MAGA movement, of which she was once one of the most recognizable members, is now a “cult,” she said.
“When you vote for someone, not only are you supporting them, but you’re holding them accountable,” Greene said at the festival. “And if they can’t be truthful and hold [Trump] accountable to his campaign promises that affect the entire country, then they’re liars and they’re hypocrites and they’re in a cult.”
A public and bitter falling-out
Greene, a Georgia Republican, entered the political spotlight after winning her northern Georgia House district in 2020 as a staunchly pro-Trump candidate who drew attention for a series of controversial comments. Early in her career, Greene attracted headlines for slurring then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, sharing a meme of herself with an assault rifle in front of photos of Democratic congresswomen and filing articles of impeachment against then-President Joe Biden on the second day of his presidency. About a month into her House tenure, all Democrats and 11 Republicans voted together to strip her of committee assignments over her conduct.
Greene also embraced several conspiracy theories, including claims that a wealthy Jewish family was behind a California wildfire and that the Parkland school shooting was a false-flag operation. She also initially embraced, before later disavowing, the QAnon theory that Trump was secretly fighting an underground cabal of Satan-worshipping sex traffickers in the government.
After establishing herself as one of Trump’s most ardent defenders, Greene began turning against the president during his second term. Their public rift began over cryptocurrency legislation and intensified over the Epstein files, after Greene pushed for Trump to release full documentation about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while the president resisted.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump and his allies had promised to furnish the files, only to block their release after returning to office, according to HuffPost. The outlet reported that Trump called the files a “Democrat hoax” and branded Greene a “traitor.”
Greene also became more outspoken on policy, challenging fellow Republicans in 2025 over the expiration of enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act enrollees amid the party’s lack of a plan to address looming health insurance premium increases.
Resignation from Congress
Trump withdrew his public support for Greene around November 14, 2025, calling her “wacky” and a “traitor” after she criticized Republicans’ handling of the Epstein matter and other issues, according to CBS News. One week later, on November 21, Greene announced on X that she would resign from Congress.
In her resignation statement, Greene wrote that “standing up for American women who were raped at 14, trafficked and used by rich powerful men, should not result in me being called a traitor and threatened by the President of the United States, whom I fought for.” She also warned that if she was “cast aside” by the MAGA movement, then “many common Americans have been cast aside and replaced as well,” though she did not rule out a return to elected office, per ABC News.
In a statement posted to X following the announcement, Georgia Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon called Greene a “tireless fighter,” saying she “entered Congress as a political outsider and never backed down from defending the forgotten men and women of our state,” according to the Georgia Recorder.
At the Texas Tribune Festival, Greene recalled a series of fights with Trump, including being yelled at in the Oval Office and culminating in the president texting her that she “deserved it” after her son received a death threat. Greene said she entered Washington naive and left feeling that the political system is fundamentally broken.
On fellow Republicans and the “cult” of MAGA
Greene said many Republicans cannot stand Trump privately but are unwilling to oppose him publicly because many owe their careers to his endorsement.
“They’re terrified of that Truth Social post,” she said at the festival. “Absolutely terrified of it. There’s a wrath that comes with it.”
Since leaving Congress, Greene has spoken with other conservatives who have broken with Trump, including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie. She said she doesn’t see any credible 2028 presidential candidates among those she knows who are considering running.
On foreign policy and Iran
Greene also discussed foreign policy at the festival, saying one of Trump’s positions that initially appealed to her was his criticism of former President George W. Bush‘s decision to pursue the Iraq War and the toll of foreign conflicts.
Greene said Trump’s decision to order a military strike against Iran betrayed the America First movement and that his presidency will be judged on his actions in the Middle East.
“He’s betrayed his campaign promises,” Greene said. “Will he make a lasting peace deal or will he make a peace deal that he goes back on probably after the midterms?”
Not a convert to the left
Despite her criticism of Trump, the Republican Party and the movement she once belonged to, Greene emphasized that she is not a liberal.
“Just because I’m 100% against what Donald Trump is doing and you hear me criticize the president because he changed and Republicans have just fallen in line with him, that doesn’t mean that all of a sudden I’m in line with Democrat policies,” she said at the festival. “I’m not.”
Greene added that she believes both major parties have failed ordinary Americans, arguing that Democratic and Republican policies alike contributed to the nation’s roughly $40 trillion debt and the loss of manufacturing jobs overseas, according to HuffPost.
“I watched every single small town in Georgia basically erode over my lifetime,” she said, noting she is 52 years old and that small towns she has known have seen their factories shut down.
