One-time MAGA darling Marjorie Taylor Greene has drastically shifted her image as a President Donald Trump sycophant, but her latest claim may be too hard a sell.
The Republican lawmaker claimed on CNN that she is “speaking nicely” to everyone she interacts with these days.
“I’m trying to lead by example, and I can only do my part, and that is to talk to everyone and to talk to everyone in kindness,” she told CNN on Thursday. “We don’t all have to agree, but that’s being an American, and thank goodness for that, right?”
If true, that marks a significant break from years past.
Greene was often the loudest member in Congress, like when she shouted at former President Joe Biden during his 2024 State of the Union address and melted down while questioning Dr. Anthony Fauci, bizarrely asserting that he is “not a doctor” and “belongs in prison.”
The Georgia native, 51, told Wolf Blitzer with a straight face that name-calling and insults are no longer her way of communicating.
Instead, she says she is killing with kindness.
“So, my personal belief is, and I can only do it on my own, is that I need to set an example in the leadership role I am in, by speaking nicely to everyone and sharing my viewpoints, but also listening to others,” she said.
Greene has repeatedly broken with the White House this year, leaving the president stunned.
The lawmaker has criticized the administration’s strikes on nuclear sites in Iran, its failure to declassify the so-called Epstein files, and its inability to end the prolonged government shutdown. If Republicans actually wanted to reopen the government, Greene says the Senate could use the “nuclear option” to do so at any time.
Greene has aligned herself with Republican Rep. Thomas Massie—a top foe of Trump, who has endorsed another Republican to challenge him in a primary next year. Greene has insisted that she is still a supporter of the president, and he has not publicly spoken out against her as he has against Massie.
The lawmaker, once a favorite of right-wing networks like Newsmax, has gone a bit more mainstream these days. Her not-at-all hostile appearance on CNN came in the same week she appeared on one of Trump’s least-favorite shows, The View.
Greene also did not clash with the ABC show’s left-leaning hosts. One of them, Sunny Hostin, expressed shock over how the appearance went.
“I’m sitting here just stumped because you are a very different person than I thought you were,” Hostin said, after Greene offered intelligible responses to their questions throughout the interview.
Host Joy Behar suggested Greene might consider switching parties.
“Maybe you should become a Democrat, Marjorie,” Behar said.
Hostin agreed, saying, “You’re so right, it’s like you’re on the left now.”
Greene said she would not take it that far.
“I’m not on the left,” she said. “I haven’t changed... This country, our beautiful country, our red, white, and blue flag is just being ripped to shreds, and I think it takes women of maturity to sew it back together.”
