atlanta — It all happened very quickly. Less than a week after President Donald Trump was convicted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene The Georgia Republican announced that she would resign from Congress on January 5.
Greene’s departure will mark the end of five turbulent 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 growing dissatisfaction has led to a rift with the president.
Here’s a look at Greene’s background and some of the highlights of her turbulent five-year career in Congress.
Greene had little role in politics before Trump ran for president. She and her husband bought a commercial contracting company from Green’s father. Greene later opened a CrossFit gym in suburban Atlanta. But during the 2016 campaign, she began posting stories and videos online.
Her initial comment was a mix of conspiracy theories. Green suggested that the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas was a coordinated attack to galvanize support for new gun restrictions. In 2018, she supported the idea that the US government committed the attacks of September 11, 2001. In a video filmed at the US Capitol in 2018, she claimed that Representatives Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, and Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, both Muslim women, were not “official” members of Congress because they used Qurans instead of Bibles in their swearing-in ceremonies.
In 2020, Greene jumped into politics by joining the crowded Republican primary in the 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 her candidacy there.
During her campaign, Greene spoke publicly Sympathize with QAnona conspiracy theory involving a global cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibals, including US government leaders, running a child sex trafficking ring. She eventually distanced herself, saying she was “attracted to some things I saw on the Internet.”
Greene won the Republican nomination in a runoff and then headed to reelection when Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal dropped out of the race.
Some of Greene’s most controversial speeches were not published until after she was elected, such as the 2018 claim that California wildfires were ignited by a laser beam from space controlled by the Rothschild banking family.
This claim has often been summarized as a “Jewish space laser” because the family has been the subject of anti-Semitic allegations over the years. Greene later said that she did not know that the Rothschilds were Jewish.
The Democratic-led House expelled Greene from her committees just weeks into her first term, saying she had earned her punishment by spreading… Hateful and violent conspiracy theories. Eleven Republicans supported the expulsions.
But Greene has thrived in exile, raising millions in small donations even as she continues to antagonize Democrats. For example, she and two other Republican House members sued House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after they were fined for refusing to wear masks on the House floor during the COVID-19 pandemic.
When Republicans won the House majority in 2022, she joined McCarthy, the California Republican who became Speaker of the House. McCarthy returned Greene to committee duties and appointed 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 and calling him a “liar” during one of his State of the Union addresses.
While Trump was running for a second term, Greene was a frequent cheerleader, often appearing alongside him at rallies in Georgia and elsewhere.
But they soon drifted away. Greene’s dissatisfaction goes back to at least May, when she made the announcement He will not run for Senate against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff. Trump later claimed to have sent Greene a poll showing she had “no chance” in the race.
Green also ran for governor of Georgia, attacking the “good ol’ boy” political system and claiming it was jeopardizing Republican control of the state.
She began to take positions contrary to Trump. Greene described Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” against the Palestinians, and supported the disclosure of files related to Jeffrey Epstein. She also criticized Republican leadership over the recent federal government shutdown, saying they need 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 overly focused on foreign affairs. As her criticism mounted, Trump grew fed up and said he would endorse a primary challenger.
After years of support, he declared Greene a “traitor.” A week later, she announced her resignation.