Marjorie Taylor Greene criticizes Trump administration: ‘I’m not in a cult’
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, once one of President Donald Trump‘s staunchest allies, has again unleashed criticism on the administration, laying into the Republican party as it gears up for the 2026 midterm elections.
Greene criticized the party on a range of issues, warning its actions regarding healthcare costs, the Epstein files and its support of Trump’s aggressive foreign policy decisions will cost the GOP in the November elections.
“If you had put America FIRST from the start, instead of your rich donor class and foreign policy, you wouldn’t have to strategize on how to gaslight Americans,” Greene said in a long social media post on Tuesday, Feb 17. “If you had not called the Epstein files a hoax and treated the Epstein survivors (rape and trafficking victims) like they didn’t exist and if you would release all the files and put your rich powerful friends in prison then Americans might actually listen to your ‘messaging’.”
Greene also entreated the party to “stop the bullying, harassment, and name calling,” writing that it was “immature” and was turning people away.
Greene became a household name early in her congressional career, often grabbing attention for her conspiratorial beliefs and polarizing comments. Yet the Georgia congresswoman began to publicly split with the president and leaders of her party in 2025, culminating in a falling out with the president in the last few months of the year.
Greene criticized House GOP leadership during the historic government shutdown that began in October 2025, airing concerns about rising health care costs that Democrats cited as their reason for denying a vote on a spending package to reopen the government. In the following weeks, she tore into Trump for his foreign policy, taking issue with his foreign trips and hosting international dignitaries, arguing he needed to focus more on domestic issues in line with MAGA’s “America First” credo.
The administration’s handling of the Epstein files also enraged the congresswoman. She became one of a few Republicans who vocalized their discontent with the administration’s and party’s approach to the matter. Trump has publicly rebuked Greene over the past few months, more recently calling her a “traitor.”
She repeated those top complaints in her post and accused the GOP of “covering up” for pedophiles.
“And you can call me all the petty names you want,” Greene said in her fiery post. “I don’t worship a man, I’m not in a cult, and I refuse to fight for a team that refuses to win.”
Greene announced her resignation from Congress in November 2025 and officially vacated her seat in January.
Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr. Sign up for her daily politics newsletter here.
