JF in the News: Marjorie Taylor Greene’s New Reality
Greene is still living in a version of reality where Trump was cheated out of the presidency. “I’ll say it over and over, I believe they elected him in 2020,” she told reporters at the Capitol recently, repeating a claim that has been debunked over and over. (After the midterms Greene also told a conservative network that Kari Lake, a Republican Trump ally who lost the Arizona gubernatorial race, “should be governor of Arizona. I truly believe there’s election fraud there.”)
Her unceasing allegiance to Trump, which she voices to more than 2 million followers on Twitter and other social media platforms, has propelled her rise as the right-wing celebrity and fundraising powerhouse known as “MTG” even after she was sidelined in her official duties as a legislator. And her infamy outside the MAGA bubble has not threatened her electorally like it has some of her allies — namely Rep. Madison Cawthorn (N.C.), who lost his seat to a fellow Republican, and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who just barely survived a challenge from a Democrat. In November, Greene easily trounced a Democrat who raised more money than any congressional challenger in the country, though she received fewer votes in her district than two other Republicans on the ballot, Gov. Brian Kemp and Senate candidate Herschel Walker. Her fans aren’t asking her to change, and the walls outside her Capitol Hill office are decorated with letters of support — a shrine to how much Greene believes she is doing right (“We need more people like you in our government,” one person wrote).
“What kind of question is that?” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) said as he left the House floor recently. “Man, you guys ask the wrong questions. We value every Republican. Everybody has value in our movement.”
“Marjorie Taylor Greene is now more valuable than ever,” said John Fredericks, a conservative radio host and MAGA booster. “If you cave to the mob and the left, she will call you out. It keeps those in party leadership who don’t really believe in our movement on their toes.”