Greene says she regrets ‘toxic politics’ as split with Trump widens

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has drawn headlines with bruising exchanges at the U.S. Capitol and town halls. She has a history of transphobic, racist and xenophobic comments. She has even indicated support for executing prominent Democrats.

But Sunday, the Georgia Republican said she regrets that sort of rhetoric and wants to change course. She said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that she is rethinking her approach to politics and is trying to “put down the knives in politics.”

“I really just want to see people be kind to one another,” she said. “And we need to figure out a new path forward that is focused on the American people, because, as Americans, no matter what side of the aisle we’re on, we have far more in common than we have differences.”

It was the latest remarkable turn for Greene, who rose to prominence as a walking symbol of Donald Trump’s MAGA movement — and is now in the middle of a messy divorce with the president that has broad implications for Georgia’s midterms.

It’s a public split that Trump said emerged after he rejected her attempts to run for U.S. Senate or governor in Georgia, though she told CNN she opted out of both races on her own.

While Greene has long tried to distance herself from many of her early controversies, what’s notable now is her attempt to distance herself from her own role in fueling negative political discourse.

Over the weekend, Trump broke ties with the third-term Georgia lawmaker. He branded Greene “wacky,” a “traitor,” “far left” and called her “Marjorie Taylor Brown” because “green grass turns Brown when it begins to Rot!” He also openly invited a primary challenge in her deep-red northwest Georgia district.

Republican state Sen. Colton Moore, whose views are so extreme he was ousted from the Senate GOP caucus, and Dr. John Cowan, a neurosurgeon who lost to Greene in 2020, are each considering runs.

And far-right commentator Laura Loomer, a frequent Greene antagonist, publicly floated moving to Georgia to challenge her.

Greene told CNN she was hurt by Trump’s recent attacks, which came after months of escalating criticism she has aimed at the president — from his handling of the files of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to the GOP’s refusal to extend expiring health care subsidies.

“The most hurtful thing he said, which is absolutely untrue, is, he called me a traitor,” she said. “And that is so extremely wrong, and those are the types of words used that can radicalize people against me and put my life in danger.”

She said she still supports Trump and his administration, but insisted she is working to change her own political style.