Washington — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene argued President Trump lacks self-awareness as he continues to hurl insults on the conservative firebrand who was as soon as certainly one of his fiercest allies in Congress.
“I truly am beginning to really feel very sorry for President Trump,” the Georgia Republican advised CBS Information in an interview Wednesday. “It is truly a really poor reflection on him that he chooses to talk about me that approach.”
Mr. Trump has labeled Greene a “traitor” and a “lunatic,” after she cut up from Republican leaders to demand the discharge of recordsdata associated to convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein and identified that her occasion lacked a plan to deal with the expiring Inexpensive Care Act premium tax credit. She has additionally criticized the results Mr. Trump’s tariffs and mass deportation efforts are having on U.S. companies.
Final month, the president pulled his assist from Greene and stated he could again a major problem towards his one-time ally. Every week later, Greene introduced she would resign from Congress, citing her falling-out with the president.
The president has continued to lash out at Greene since then. On Monday, after Greene spoke to “60 Minutes,” Mr. Trump known as her a “dumb particular person” and saying she “kind of jogs my memory of a Rotten Apple.”
Greene advised CBS Information on Wednesday that the president’s name-calling might alienate girls voters.
“He all the time continues to talk about girls like this, and that is one thing that girls all around the nation take note of,” she stated. “I feel the Republican Social gathering must take a tough have a look at it, as a result of the Republican Social gathering has a really tough time with girls voting for them.”
“It is unlucky that President Trump thinks loyalty is a one-way road. It is actually not,” she added. “I do really feel sorry for him, as a result of I feel he is extraordinarily unaware, and I do not know the way he could be unaware about this, however he is not conscious of the way it makes him actually look.”
Greene additionally questioned the president’s obvious dismissal of People’ issues concerning the state of the economic system. As lawmakers in each events stress the necessity to tackle affordability, Mr. Trump has defended his financial insurance policies and known as Democrats’ deal with the difficulty a “hoax.” Requested earlier this week to give the economic system a letter grade, he responded: “A+++++.”
“The president must be conscious that he is a billionaire president of america,” she stated. “You may’t gaslight folks and inform them that their payments are reasonably priced, and you’ll’t inform them that the economic system is in A+++. You simply cannot do this, and I feel it is insulting to folks’s intelligence.”
“I do consider right now that Republicans will lose the midterms”
Requested if the difficulty of affordability might price the GOP its majority subsequent 12 months, the Georgia lawmaker stated she does not consider the occasion is doing sufficient to embrace a message of financial populism.
“I do consider right now that Republicans will lose the midterms, and I feel that is unlucky,” Greene stated. “I very a lot needed to be a part of a Republican majority in Congress that solved issues for the American folks, that delivered what we promised to America.”
Greene stated she didn’t give Speaker Mike Johnson a heads up earlier than saying her retirement. Her exit subsequent month leaves the Louisiana Republican with a slimmer margin within the Home.
“This was a private resolution between myself and my household, which I had their full assist, so I did not assume I owed him that,” she defined. “He simply texted me and requested me to rethink.”
Earlier this month, Johnson advised CBS Information he was “shocked” by Greene’s resolution.
“It is no secret she and I’ve had disagreements during the last couple years, however I like Marjorie, I all the time have. I respect her resolution, and I want her the very best,” Johnson stated.
Greene, who as soon as threatened to oust the Speaker, stated she agrees with different feminine colleagues, together with Representatives Elise Stefanik and Nancy Mace, who lately criticized Johnson’s management.
“I feel he has a broader downside with the complete convention as a complete,” Greene defined. “The Republicans have an issue. They will have a very onerous time attempting to return to their districts and ask for re-election and new Republican candidates working in different Home seats are going to have a really onerous time asking for votes when this Congress, this Republican majority right here, has produced hardly something to present again to the folks.”
President Trump advised reporters Wednesday he nonetheless has confidence within the Speaker to carry his convention collectively.
“I feel Mike Johnson has been a unbelievable speaker,” Mr. Trump stated. “I’ve had a really onerous job as a result of, you recognize, we’ve a small majority, and we bought the largest invoice within the historical past of our nation accredited, the nice, huge lovely invoice.”
“I will consider it once I see it,” Greene says on launch of Epstein recordsdata
Greene’s rift with the president deepened over the discharge of the Jeffrey Epstein recordsdata. She was one of many early signers of a bipartisan petition to compel the Justice Division to completely disclose details about the convicted intercourse offender. The Epstein Information Transparency Act handed within the Home and Senate overwhelmingly final month. It orders the DOJ to make the recordsdata public inside 30 days, by December 19.
“I will consider it once I see it, and I actually hope the Trump administration does the appropriate factor,” she stated. “I feel, if they do not launch all the data, and the ladies are those that may know, I feel that can be a whole break of belief with MAGA.”
“In my coronary heart, I really feel fully freed of this complete state of affairs, as a result of if President Trump known as me a traitor, over standing with these girls who have been raped, victimized, trafficked for thus a few years, and that is one thing the federal government fully coated up and guarded wealthy, highly effective elites, if that is why President Trump known as me a traitor, then I am like, that is high quality, you recognize, I am fully okay with it,” Greene added.
However she stated demise threats she and her household confronted went too far, and in the end factored into her resolution to step down.
“It was the direct demise threats and assassination threats on my son, and that crossed my line,” Greene stated. “It ought to cross anybody’s line, irrespective of who we’re, it doesn’t matter what disagreements we’ve.”
