Marjorie Taylor Greene is resigning. Here’s what to know about her five years in Congress

ATLANTA– It all happened so quickly. Less than a week after President Donald Trump denounced Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican announced she will resign from Congress on January 5.

Greene’s departure will end a tumultuous five years in Congress. She was first an outsider, then briefly at the center of power during the reign of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Trump’s return to the White House could have heralded a new era of influence in Washington, but Greene’s simmering discontent led to a rift with the president.

Here’s a look at Greene’s journey and some of the most notable episodes of her tumultuous five-year congressional career.

Greene had little involvement in politics before Trump ran for president. She and her husband had purchased a trading business from Greene’s father. Greene later opened a CrossFit gym in suburban Atlanta. But during the 2016 campaign, she began posting stories and videos online.

His first comment was a mix of conspiracy theories. Greene suggested that a mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017 was a coordinated attack aimed at drumming up support for new gun restrictions. In 2018, she supported the idea that the U.S. government carried out the attacks of September 11, 2001. In a video filmed at the U.S. Capitol in 2018, she claimed that Representatives Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, and Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, both Muslims, were not “official” members of Congress because they used the Quran rather than the Bible during their swearing-in ceremonies.

In 2020, Greene entered politics by joining a crowded Republican primary in a competitive congressional district in suburban Atlanta, where she lived. But after the incumbent in northwest Georgia’s heavily Republican 14th District announced his retirement, Greene moved his candidacy there.

During her campaign, Greene openly sympathized with QAnon, a conspiracy theory involving a global cabal of Satan-worshiping cannibals, including U.S. government leaders, who operate a child sex trafficking ring. She eventually distanced herself, saying she had “let herself be drawn into some of the things I saw on the internet.”

Greene won the Republican nomination in a runoff, then went to reelection when Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal dropped out of the race.

Some of Greene’s most incendiary speeches were not made public until after her election, such as a 2018 claim that the California wildfires were started by a laser beam from space controlled by the Rothschild banking family.

This claim has often been summarized as “Jewish space lasers” as the family has been the subject of anti-Semitic allegations over the years. Greene later said she did not know the Rothschilds were Jewish.

A Democratic-led House kicked Greene off both of its committees just weeks into her first term, saying she deserved her punishment by spreading hateful and violent conspiracy theories. Eleven Republicans supported the expulsions.

But Greene thrived in exile, raising millions through small donations while continuing to provoke Democrats. For example, she and two other Republican House members sued House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after they were fined for refusing to wear masks in the House during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When Republicans won the House majority in 2022, she aligned herself with McCarthy, the California Republican who became House speaker. McCarthy returned Greene to committee assignments and enlisted her as a close advisor.

Greene has often been at the center of drama with Democrats, including bickering with Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas and heckling President Joe Biden by calling him a “liar” during one of his State of the Union addresses.

As Trump sought a second term, Greene was a constant cheerleader, often appearing alongside him at rallies in Georgia and elsewhere.

But they quickly separated. Greene’s discontent dates back at least to May, when she announced she would not run for Senate against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff. Trump later claimed he sent Greene a poll showing she “had no chance” in the race.

Greene also abandoned her bid for governor of Georgia, attacking a “good ol’ boy” political system and alleging it endangered Republican control of the state.

She began to take positions contrary to Trump. Greene has described Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” against the Palestinians, and she supported the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein. She also criticized Republican leadership over the recent federal government shutdown, saying they needed a better plan to mitigate the impact of expiring health insurance subsidies.

Greene referred to herself as “America first, America only,” suggesting that Trump was too focused on foreign affairs. As his criticism intensified, Trump had enough and declared he would support a primary challenger.

After years of support, he said, Greene was a “traitor.” A week later, she announced her resignation.