Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Resignation: A Republican Mess

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation from the Republican Grand Old Party (GOP) will not cause major shifts within the party nor cause others to follow suit, due to the main source of her influence as well as her diverging views. 

Upon closer inspection of the events leading up to Greene’s resignation from Congress, it becomes apparent how much her ideals differ from that of fellow Republicans. She was open in her disagreements with President Donald Trump; Greene criticized Trump’s “sweeping tariffs” and his stance on Israel, which she denounced as committing genocide against Gaza. Additionally, she went on to criticize Republicans’ strategy and Trump’s role in the government shutdown, unexpectedly siding with Democrats to address a shared concern over the expiring healthcare subsidies for low-income Americans. However, these disagreements did not strain Greene and Trump’s relationship nearly as much as her stance on the recent controversy over the Epstein files. After condemning Trump’s unwillingness to order the Justice Department to fully release the Epstein files to the public, Greene once again sided with Democrats as well as Epstein’s victims to force a House vote to release them through another channel. Trump did not hesitate to respond, discrediting Greene by posting negative comments about her on social media and accusing her of having gone “far-left.” His immediate attacks against her signify the clash in views between Trump, the GOP, and Greene. 

Additionally, Greene has made a distinction between her “America First” stance and Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) stance. Greene says that Trump’s MAGA rhetoric prioritizes international issues, rather than domestic needs. In contrast, she argues that her “America First” stance prioritizes the well-being of the United States and American citizens.

Her views on MAGA and the America First movement no longer align with that of the Republican Party. Her choice to leave was not primarily due to Trump’s attacks and name-calling, but because the causes she was fighting for no longer aligned with the rest of the GOP. Greene has expressed that she believes that Americans need to come together and end the toxic divide that our polarizing, bipartisan system has created. Greene puts the unification of the country over her party values, which is not a sentiment that most Republicans across the country would readily agree with. In other words, they believe that being uncompromising and bound to achieving Republican goals is the only way to make America great again. If Greene stayed, it would only harm and undermine the GOP’s MAGA endeavours, especially after she denied the MAGA label. In essence, the GOP that Greene had joined and the form of MAGA she supported at the start of her political career are no longer what they were. The majority of Republicans—around 60 percent—consider themselves to be supporters of Trump’s framing of MAGA. Due to Trump’s massive influence on the Republican Party and its ideals, it doesn’t matter what Greene thinks or does, because it will be overshadowed by Trump’s influence over the GOP.

Greene’s path to becoming an influential figure of the Republican Party was in no way smooth; ever since she started her political career, she has faced constant skepticism and criticism from conservatives and liberals alike. Despite the opposition, she was able to rise as a powerful figure among Republicans. As a MAGA loyalist, Greene was a Trump supporter through and through, thereby receiving much endorsement and support from him. Her close ties with Trump were the only reason she had the influence she did. Despite disagreeing with some of his decisions and actions, she was able to maintain her standing as long as Trump supported her. However, with the Epstein files case as a catalyst, the moment he turned on her is what directly resulted in her fallout with the rest of the GOP. It is also important to note that Trump isn’t exactly a Republican in the traditional sense. He refers to his own definition of being a conservative when taking on his role as president as well as in the GOP. Consequently, an increasing number of Republicans have begun to turn against Trump and his policies, showing how even Trump’s status and influence as a Republican president will not truly determine the views of the GOP as a whole. Although at times it may seem that the majority of Republicans agree with everything Trump has to say, it’s only a facade they put up to stay in his favor out of fear. 

Trump’s influence and control over the Republican Party are currently much more prominent than that of Greene, essentially meaning that her resignation will not affect party members. Ultimately, no matter which key figures rise and fall in the Republican Party—whether more similar to Marjorie Taylor Greene or Donald Trump—it will find its way back to its core ideals and remain a party held together by common beliefs and evolving ideas rather than distinctive political powers.