WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is feuding with one of his most vocal MAGA supporters, and it’s getting ugly.
Trump’s back-and-forth spat with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene reached a fever pitch in recent days when the president withdrew his endorsement of the Georgia Republican and assigned her a nickname – an act typically reserved for his fiercest political rivals.
“All I see ‘Wacky’ Marjorie do is COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN!” Trump wrote on social media Nov. 14, in reference to concerns Greene floated about his focus on foreign policy, the government shutdown and controversy surrounding accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
His comments came more than a month after Greene started publicly raising her grievances with her fellow Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump.
Here’s what to know about the causes of the rift, from international conflicts to the Epstein files, and what it all means.
Where it began: The shutdown and Greene’s health care grievances
Greene, who represents a district in the northwest corner of Georgia, first started criticizing House GOP leadership during the government shutdown that began Oct. 1. In particular, Greene raised concerns about rising health care costs that Democrats cited as their reason for holding out on voting to open the government and approve a spending package.
While Greene said she was not a fan of the Affordable Care Act, passed under the Obama administration, she broke from Republican colleagues and called for an extension of ACA subsidies set to expire soon. Without the funds, some Americans will see their insurance costs skyrocket.
“I’m going to go against everyone on this issue because when the tax credits expire this year my own adult children’s insurance premiums for 2026 are going to DOUBLE, along with all the wonderful families and hard-working people in my district,” Greene said in an Oct. 6 post on X.
Trump has long said he wants to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare, but Republicans have yet to propose comprehensive legislation on how they would do so.
The tipping point: Foreign policy
Amid the shutdown, Greene criticized Trump after he met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the White House and vowed to lend a hand to the Middle Eastern country.
“I would really like to see nonstop meetings at the WH on domestic policy not foreign policy and foreign country’s leaders,” Greene wrote on X on Nov. 10.
The stance wasn’t surprising for Greene. The Georgia representative has long backed what Trump calls his “America First” approach to world affairs and has called for an end to foreign wars. She supported the president’s campaign promise to “settle” the war in Ukraine, which he has not yet done.
Trump quickly hit back. He told reporters Nov. 10 that Greene had “lost her way.” He said he had to “view the presidency as a worldwide situation, not locally,” in response to her criticism.
Then, on Nov. 14, Trump ratcheted up his replies, calling her “wacky,” withdrawing his endorsement and encouraging other Republicans to challenge in in the 2026 Republican primary.
The Epstein files
Greene argued Trump’s anger toward her wasn’t about her stance on the shutdown, or foreign policy, but instead about her push for the Department of Justice to release federal files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier accused of trafficking hundreds of underage girls.
“President Trump just attacked me and lied about me. … Apparently this is what sent him over the edge. The Epstein files,” Greene said in a post on X, along with screenshots of a text message she said she sent to Trump.
When asked directly by CNN anchor Dana Bash whether she believed Trump didn’t want the American people to see something in the Epstein files, Greene said Nov. 16 that was part of the confusion.
“The women themselves that I have talked to have over and over again said that Donald Trump did nothing wrong,” Greene said.
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in his friendship with Epstein, and the men had a falling out in the 2000s.
Where we are now: Greene calls for an end to ‘toxic politics’
Greene on Nov. 16 expressed a desire to move past her feud with Trump and called for an end to divisive politics. Her comments came after she posted concerns on X Nov. 15 that Trump calling her a “traitor” would “radicalize people” against her and put her life in danger.
But Greene, who has long pushed condemned conspiracy theories, said she now wants Americans to “end the toxic fighting in politics.”
When Bash questioned why Greene hadn’t spoken out about political division and harmful rhetoric in the past, the congresswoman apologized.
“I would like to say, humbly, I’m sorry for taking part in the toxic politics it’s very bad for our country,” she said.
Greene’s feud with Trump, whoever, doesn’t appear to be over. The ball is now in Trump’s court.
Contributing: Joey Garrison and Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY
