Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., delivered a blistering critique of President Donald Trump in a New York Times profile published Monday, marking a dramatic rupture with the man she once defended as one of his most loyal allies. In the interview, Greene questioned Trump’s claim to Christian faith and said her stance on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files was the breaking point that finally sent their relationship over the edge.
Speaking with Times reporter Robert Draper, Greene reflected on her years as a staunch Trump supporter, saying she now views herself as “naïve” for embracing what she described as a “toxic” political culture. She said that culture ultimately clashed with her Christian beliefs and forced her to reexamine her role in the movement.
Greene explained that her break with Trump sharpened after the September killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which she described as a pivotal and sobering moment.
Watching Kirk’s memorial service, Greene said she was struck by the contrast between the forgiveness shown by Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, and Trump’s own remarks, in which he said he chooses to “hate” his opponents.
“It just shows where his heart is,” Greene later texted Draper, according to the profile. She contrasted what she called Erika Kirk’s sincere Christian faith with Trump’s rhetoric, concluding that it proved, in her view, that the president does not share that faith.
Greene said the episode forced a reckoning with the combative political style she believes Trump helped normalize and that she herself adopted. “Our side has been trained by Donald Trump to never apologize and to never admit when you’re wrong,” Greene told the Times. “You just keep pummeling your enemies, no matter what.” She added that as a Christian, she no longer believes in that approach and pointed again to Erika Kirk’s public forgiveness as the example she wants to follow.
After Kirk’s death, Greene said she began to reassess her own conduct and beliefs. “I realized that I’m part of this toxic culture,” she said, explaining that she wanted to look more closely at her faith and “be more like Christ.”
From Trump’s perspective, Greene argued, the real rupture centered on the Epstein files. “It was Epstein. Epstein was everything,” she told the Times. Greene pushed aggressively for the release of investigative materials related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying the issue symbolized elite impunity and unaccountable power. “Rich, powerful elites doing horrible things and getting away with it,” she said, emphasizing that “the women are the victims.”
The fallout widened into broader criticism of what Greene described as a drift away from America First policymaking by Trump and congressional Republicans. That stance angered fellow GOP lawmakers and eventually led Trump to brand her a “traitor,” a label Greene said carried serious personal consequences. She told Draper she feared for her family’s safety after a pipe bomb threat and an anonymous email targeting her son.
Greene has since announced she will retire from Congress, but she rejected the idea that she abandoned her principles. “Everyone’s like, ‘She’s changed,’” she said. “I haven’t changed my views. But I’ve matured. I’ve developed depth.”
Reflecting on her time in Washington, Greene said she has come to see the institution as deeply broken. She argued that growth and self-reflection are necessary, asking pointedly what kind of people lawmakers are if they cannot learn from hard lessons and evolve.
[READ MORE: Trump Says America Struck A Major Facility In Venezuela]
