WASHINGTON — Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene disagrees with President Donald Trump on funding weapons for Ukraine, on whether the Epstein files are worth releasing and on how to regulate cryptocurrency.
And that’s just this week.
She also has split with him on support for Israel and, for a time, on passing his signature legislation known as the “big, beautiful bill.”
But Greene doesn’t believe she’s in conflict with Trump, whose conservative Make America Great Again agenda she supports wholeheartedly. Instead, she says she is merely sticking to her principles and blames people surrounding Trump for not doing the same.
“I’m not fighting with President Trump,” Greene said. “I’m fighting with the people that are trying to take over the agenda.”
On Tuesday, Greene was among 12 Republicans who voted with Democrats against a Trump-backed cryptocurrency bill.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Greene said she was unhappy that Speaker Mike Johnson did not allow an amendment to be added that would have ensured the Federal Reserve did not attempt to launch its own digital currency, something far-right figures have argued against.
Wednesday morning, she and nearly all of the other holdouts reversed course and supported allowing the bill to proceed without any changes. But it was still another example of Greene splitting with the president, even if it was temporary.
While Greene says she remains an ally of Trump and agrees with him on most issues, her willingness to break with him highlights an independent streak that could help her differentiate herself from other Republicans if she decides to run for governor in 2026.
Another example is her long-standing opposition to sending U.S. resources to aide Ukraine in its war with Russia or Israel in its war with Hamas. Greene has consistently voted against legislation that provides funding or weapons to both countries, dating back to her first term when President Joe Biden was in office.
Trump campaigned on ending foreign wars and diverting that money to border security and immigration enforcement. But some notable MAGA figures, including Greene, have questioned some of his foreign policy decisions since taking office in January.
Last month Greene, R-Rome, joined other high-profile MAGA figures who criticized Trump’s decision to launch attacks in Iran in support of Israel.
Then, on Monday, Trump said the U.S. will funnel weapons to Ukraine through NATO, a reversal of an announcement earlier this month that his administration was holding back military equipment that had been promised to Ukraine.
Greene said she is disappointed in the new direction Trump is taking, arguing that it diverts U.S. resources away from domestic issues that matter more to the voters who put him in office.
“I love President Trump; I absolutely love the guy,” she said Tuesday. “I love his agenda. I love so many things that the administration is doing, and I think they’re wonderful, and I want to see him have all the support in the world going forward. But I don’t want World War III.”
The Department of Justice’s refusal to release the full case file outlining its investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, the moneyed sex offender who died by suicide while in prison, has also frustrated Greene and other Trump supporters.
For years, far-right voters have accused Democrats of withholding the Epstein files to protect other rich Americans who might have been implicated. But Trump has refused to release more documents and downplayed the uproar.
“I think they should release the information about the people that were surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, who is the most well-known convicted pedophile in modern-day history,” Greene said.
Greene said she isn’t sure if Trump is receiving bad advice or why there are so many recent decisions she has disagreed with. But she is hoping to get some face time with the president to discuss.
“I really I do look forward to talking with him about it,” she said.
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