Marjorie Taylor Greene’s split with Trump tests her Georgia voters
When Bill Newton gathers with his friends at Doug’s Diner in downtown Rome, Georgia, it’s a politically diverse group: two staunch Democrats, of which he is one; two moderate Republicans; and a wealthy Republican who supports Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Amid the bustle of breakfast, the group discusses politics and local gossip. It’s the kind of social gathering that can seem elusive in a polarized, scorched-earth era, an era that Ms. Greene, a MAGA firebrand first elected to Congress in 2020, has come to embody. Here in this Atlanta suburb, home to middle-class dreams and working-class struggles, is Ms. Greene’s world, dotted with modest housing developments, strip malls and roadside gyms — all squeezed into the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
In Ms. Greene’s ruby-red district, support for President Donald Trump runs deep, which is why their high-profile argument is the talk of the restaurant counter. In recent weeks, she has broken with Mr. Trump over Israeli policy, health care bonuses, inflation and, most notably, the release of Justice Department files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She was one of four Republican lawmakers who sided with Democrats in the Epstein case, ultimately forcing Mr. Trump to reverse course and sign a bill on Wednesday to release the records.
Why we wrote this
The public feud between U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and President Donald Trump has exposed divisions within the MAGA movement. In Ms. Greene’s solidly Republican district, voters are weighing their populist allegiances.
In return, Mr. Trump ridiculed Ms. Greene, who was among his most ardent and vocal supporters, and called her a traitor. None of this intimidated her. “I never owed him anything,” she said Tuesday at a news conference with some of Mr. Epstein’s victims. She said she fought for President Trump and “for America First,” and then he called her a traitor “for standing with these women.”
“Let me tell you what a traitor is. A traitor is an American who serves foreign countries and himself. A patriot is an American who serves the United States of America, and Americans like the women who stand behind me,” she said.
His refusal to back down has fueled rumors of a split within the MAGA coalition and a possible dilution of Mr. Trump’s near-absolute influence over the Republican base. It also raised questions about Ms. Greene’s political future and whether she would moderate her caustic political style and, if so, to what end. On Sunday, she told CNN’s “State of the Union” that she regretted participating in “toxic politics,” saying the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk had made her think about his combative rhetoric.
Among the Republicans who go about their daily lives in Ms. Greene’s district, there is respect for her policy positions and some frustration with the president they voted for. Many voted in hopes of better economic times.
Patrik Jonsson/The Christian Science Monitor
Greg Ledbetter works for a company in Rome that makes polystyrene bait coolers. He believes that America “has bounced back” under Mr. Trump and that inflation is under control. But he’s also a fan of Ms. Greene, who he says “looks out for the lower and middle classes, and that’s where I belong.” He wants to find out all the facts about Mr. Epstein and thinks Mr. Trump is too focused on foreign policy and not “America First.”
“In some ways, Trump isn’t doing everything he could do for the people, and I think she is, or she’s trying to,” he said.
Most Trump supporters in northeast Georgia don’t pay much attention to Washington politics, says David Pennington, former mayor of Dalton, a carpet-producing town north of Rome. But they are certainly feeling the consequences of a slowing economy and “staggering” increases in health care premiums. Although he is not a supporter of Ms. Greene, Mr. Pennington says he is happy to see Republican lawmakers like Ms. Greene opposing Mr. Trump and refocusing on the economy.
But it’s difficult to be a Trump critic within the party, he warns. “It’s a balancing act. A lot of his voters are Trump voters, and they support him no matter what he does.”
“He is a central character of our time”
By calling Ms. Greene a traitor, Mr. Trump is turning a political disagreement into a personal feud that is difficult to reconcile with his record, says Amy Steigerwalt, a political science professor at Georgia State University. His criticism of health care and food prices “channels the interests of his constituents,” while the release of the Epstein files was a campaign promise to the MAGA base. “It seems so ridiculous to say that this person who has been such a bastion of support can’t express a different point of view on certain things,” she said.
Mr. Trump has pledged to support a primary challenger to Ms. Greene, who faced no opposition in her last primary and was re-elected by nearly 30 points.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP/File
“There are a lot of people in town who support Trump and question him,” says Ansley, a real estate agent who didn’t want to give her last name for fear of alienating potential clients. A Democrat, Ansley did not vote for Ms. Greene, but that could change. “I always thought she was too radical, but it looks like she had an epiphany. It looks like she’s trying to do the right thing.”
Back at the restaurant, Mr. Newton, a retired lawyer, says he is not a fan of Ms. Greene’s politics or her incendiary style. But it’s different when she stops at the restaurant to talk, as she sometimes does. “In person, she is very affable and pleasant and, interestingly, she never talks about politics,” he says. “I think she is a central character of our times. In that way, I hope the change in her is sincere.”
A former gym owner, Ms. Greene won her first election in 2020 as an outsider. She quickly plunged into controversy in Congress over her spreading conspiracy theories related to the 2020 election, coronavirus vaccines and other topics. She has also made controversial comments criticizing Jews, Muslims and Black Americans. Even Republican lawmakers have sometimes kept their distance. When Mr. Trump faced legal risks over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election he lost, Ms. Greene never wavered in her support and fierce partisanship.
That makes her an unlikely voice of reason in Washington. But his willingness to challenge the White House and advocate for pocketbook policies on CNN and other media outlets “gives him national prominence and a lot of flexibility,” says Matt Wylie, a Republican Party strategist based in South Carolina.
For example, Ms. Greene says her constituents are concerned about the cost of groceries and that even though Mr. Trump has reduced inflation since taking office, it is still a pressing problem. “So misleading people and trying to tell them prices have gone down doesn’t help. It actually infuriates people,” she told the Sean Spicer Show. (Mr. Trump has repeatedly said that prices “are falling sharply” and that inflation “is almost nonexistent.”)
What matters to voters in Georgia’s 14th District
Analysts say any primary challenger will have a hard time unseating Ms. Greene, given her MAGA credentials and fundraising skills. She also has support from state and local Republicans in Georgia, whose governor, Brian Kemp, charted his own political path and easily defeated a Trump-backed challenger in 2022.
“The recent national criticism directed at Congresswoman Greene does not change the fundamental truth that she serves under the leadership of the people of this district,” Jim Tully, Georgia Republican Party 14th District Chairman, said on social media. “We remain confident in his ability to represent our district with honor and conviction. »
Mr. Wylie says the White House should focus more on Democrats’ mid-term threat and the cost-of-living issues raised by Ms. Greene. And at a time when congressional Republicans are beholden to Mr. Trump, Ms. Greene may now have “the influence to assert the leadership that is lacking.”
It is not yet clear whether his change in tone and priorities is a political calculation or a Damascene conversion. But for some residents in his neighborhood, it’s a welcome departure, perhaps a first step toward a more welcoming public square, the kind that still exists at places like Mr. Newton’s rallies. Down the street, public works employees decorate a Christmas tree; a worker nimbly tosses fragile ornaments to a colleague in a cherry picker.
According to Mr. Ledbetter, “Ms. Greene’s apology was not a sign of weakness. An apology can make you appear strong. It shows that you care and want to do better.”
Steve Morgan, a farmer fueling his beat-up GMC truck just outside Rome, is more skeptical. On the one hand, the break with Trump suggests that Ms. Greene’s ear is tuned to her district, given that she is willing to risk so much — including what she has said are threats to her life. But that doesn’t mean Mr Morgan would vote for her come election time.
“They tell you what they want you to hear,” he says of politicians. “And then they do what they want.”
Patrik Jonsson reported from Rome, Georgia, and Simon Montlake from Boston.
