Former Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene drew a stark contrast between herself and what she called the MAGA “cult” during an event at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, throwing fiery accusations at both Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
“So, is it fair to say that MAGA is not just a movement, but that it’s also a cult?” asked Robert Draper, a New York Times author and moderator of the conversation.
“I would say yes,” Greene said. “…When you vote for someone, not only are you supporting them, but you’re holding them accountable, and if they can’t be truthful and hold him accountable to his campaign promises that affect the entire country, then they’re liars and they’re hypocrites and they’re in a cult.”
The former Georgia congresswoman doubled down by saying the MAGA movement she once supported is now “dead.”
Greene spent much of her near-hour-long conversation with Draper criticizing the president, including his opposition to the release of files relating to the late Jeffrey Epstein. Greene said she and the president clashed over her backing a House resolution forcing the release of the files.
“[Trump] had a 100% lock on this is not going to be released,” Greene said. “I mean, he had a tight leash on [former Attorney General] Pam Bondi. This was not going to be released. He had a tight leash on Speaker Johnson, Leader Thune. These are not going to be released. Shut it down.”
Greene said that after she refused to step back from her support of the files’ release, Trump began posting about her on Truth Social, calling her “Marjorie Traitor Greene.” Those posts, according to Greene, spurred backlash and death threats, including against her son.
Greene honed in on Johnson as well, calling him “the biggest liar in Congress” and saying that when the president was attacking her, he did nothing to stand in her defense.
Draper asked if she ever planned on running for office again, to which she responded, “Oh my God, Robert, no.”
“I think it’s safe to say, and I’ll pick on myself — I made probably the worst mistakes of my life,” Greene said of her time in Congress. “I learned the biggest lessons of my life, and I did all of that on a national stage, even a world stage, while serving in Congress.”