Greene: GOP Mocked Trump, Later ‘Kissed His Ass’
Outgoing Republican House member Marjorie Taylor Greene has publicly asserted that many of her congressional colleagues privately ridiculed former President Donald Trump before his 2024 White House primary nomination, only to later offer him their fervent support. Greene, a Georgia Republican, made these candid remarks in a segment from an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, which aired Sunday.
“I watched many of my colleagues go from making fun of him, making fun of how he talks, making fun of me constantly for supporting him, to when he won the primary in 2024, they all started – excuse my language, Lesley – kissing his ass,” Greene stated in the broadcast clip. This revelation paints a picture of a stark shift in allegiance within the Republican Party, suggesting a pragmatic pivot towards the presumptive nominee once his victory became inevitable.
Greene further elaborated on this perceived transformation, telling the 60 Minutes correspondent that these same Republicans, previously critical, then “decided to put on a Maga hat for the first time,” referencing Trump’s iconic “Make America Great Again” slogan. Her comments highlight a deep-seated hypocrisy she observed among her peers, who seemingly prioritized political expediency over their private sentiments.
Historically, Greene was a staunch and vocal ally of Donald Trump, often serving as one of his most fervent defenders in Congress. However, her relationship with the former president has recently fractured, leading to a public split. Greene is set to depart Congress in January, marking an end to her tenure amid this ongoing political drama.
The fallout from this estrangement has been significant. Trump has publicly branded Greene a “traitor” and launched online attacks against her. According to Greene, these attacks have directly instigated a torrent of threats against her, which she has diligently reported to the US Capitol police. On Sunday, she disclosed via posts on X that she has submitted hundreds of these threats to authorities.
Evolving Threats and Political Divides
Greene detailed the changing nature and source of the threats she has received. Initially, she claims, the death threats originated from those on the political left who opposed Trump, a period when she was still a steadfast supporter of the former president.
However, the tide of animosity shifted dramatically, she explained, when she took a stance against Trump regarding his handling of documents related to the prosecution of his former associate, Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein, a disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, was found guilty of soliciting prostitution from a minor and subsequently died by suicide in 2019 while incarcerated on federal sex-trafficking charges during Trump’s first term in office.
“All of the death threats came from the ‘left’ until I stood with the Epstein Survivors, woman who were raped as teenagers, abused, and trafficked by rich powerful men – and that’s when President Trump turned on me and called me a ‘traitor’ and then new death threats and harassments came from the ‘right’ or somewhere,” Greene wrote on X. This pivotal moment, she contends, redirected the flow of threats towards her, now emanating from the “right” or other unknown sources.
The severity of these new threats, Greene revealed, extended to her family. She asserted that she forwarded “assassination threats on my son” directly to President Trump, underscoring the personal and dangerous ramifications of her public dissent.
Greene’s revelations offer a rare glimpse into the internal dynamics of the Republican Party and the intense pressures faced by politicians navigating loyalty to a dominant figure like Donald Trump. Her departure from Congress comes as she highlights the volatile nature of political allegiances and the escalating dangers faced by those who challenge established power structures, whether from within their own party or from opposing factions.
Source: The Guardian
