Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green speaks before former President Donald Trump delivered remarks during his first campaign event in Savannah, Georgia, on Tuesday, September 24, 2024.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. speaks during the first day of the Republican National Convention. The RNC kicked off the first day of the convention with the roll call vote of the states.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is feuding with one of his most vocal MAGA supporters, and it’s getting ugly.

Trump's back-and-forth spat with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene reached a fever pitch in recent days when the president withdrew his endorsement of the Georgia Republican and assigned her a nickname – an act typically reserved for his fiercest political rivals.

“All I see 'Wacky' Marjorie do is COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN!" Trump wrote on social media, in reference to concerns Greene floated about his focus on foreign policy, the government shutdown and controversy surrounding accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The president also called Greene a

His comments came more than a month after Greene started publicly raising her grievances with her fellow Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump.

As members of Congress prepared Nov. 18 to pass legislation requiring the Justice Department to release records related to Epstein, Greene also ramped up her rhetoric against the president.

“I was called a traitor by a man that I fought for five, no, actually, six years, and I gave him my loyalty for free,” Greene said during a news conference. "I won my first election without his endorsement beating eight men in a primary, and I’ve never owed him anything."

Here’s what to know about the causes of the rift, from international conflicts to the Epstein files, and what it all means.

Where it began: The shutdown and Greene’s health care grievances

Greene, who represents a district in the northwest corner of Georgia, first started criticizing House GOP leadership during the government shutdown that began Oct. 1. In particular, Greene raised concerns about rising health care costs that Democrats cited as their reason for holding out on voting to open the government and approve a spending package.

While Greene said she was not a fan of the Affordable Care Act, passed under the Obama administration, she broke from Republican colleagues and called for an extension of ACA subsidies set to expire soon. Without the funds, some Americans will see their insurance costs skyrocket.

“I’m going to go against everyone on this issue because when the tax credits expire this year my own adult children’s insurance premiums for 2026 are going to DOUBLE, along with all the wonderful families and hard-working people in my district,” Greene said in an Oct. 6 post on X.

Trump has long said he wants to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare, but Republicans have yet to propose comprehensive legislation on how they would do so.

The tipping point: Foreign policy

Amid the shutdown, Greene criticized Trump after he met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the White House and vowed to lend a hand to the Middle Eastern country.

“I would really like to see nonstop meetings at the WH on domestic policy not foreign policy and foreign country’s leaders," Greene wrote on X on Nov. 10.

The stance wasn’t surprising for Greene. The Georgia representative has long backed what Trump calls his "America First" approach to world affairs and has called for an end to foreign wars. She supported the president’s campaign promise to "settle" the war in Ukraine, which he has not yet done.

Trump quickly hit back. He told reporters Nov. 10 that Greene had “lost her way.” He said he had to “view the presidency as a worldwide situation, not locally,” in response to her criticism.

Then, on Nov. 14, Trump ratcheted up his replies, calling her “wacky,” withdrawing his endorsement and encouraging other Republicans to challenge in in the 2026 Republican primary.

The Epstein files

Greene argued Trump’s anger toward her wasn’t about her stance on the shutdown, or foreign policy, but instead about her push for the Department of Justice to release federal files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier accused of trafficking hundreds of underage girls.

“President Trump just attacked me and lied about me. ... Apparently this is what sent him over the edge. The Epstein files,” Greene said in a post on X, along with screenshots of a text message she said she sent to Trump.

When asked directly by CNN anchor Dana Bash whether she believed Trump didn't want the American people to see something in the Epstein files, Greene said Nov. 16 that was part of the confusion.

“The women themselves that I have talked to have over and over again said that Donald Trump did nothing wrong," Greene said.

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in his friendship with Epstein, and the men had a falling out in the 2000s.

Where we are now: Greene calls for an end to ‘toxic politics’

Greene on Nov. 16 expressed a desire to move past her feud with Trump and called for an end to divisive politics. Her comments came after she posted concerns on X Nov. 15 that Trump calling her a "traitor" would "radicalize people" against her and put her life in danger.

Greene, who has long pushed condemned conspiracy theories, said she now wants Americans to “end the toxic fighting in politics" and apologized for her "taking part in the toxic politics" in the past.

But Greene's feud with Trump doesn't appear to be over. On Nov. 18, Greene said the Epstein files had "ripped MAGA apart," during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol, urging members of Congress to pass legislation requiring the release of unclassified records related to Epstein. She also responded to comments Trump made, calling her a traitor.

"Let me tell you what a traitor is. A traitor is an American that serves foreign countries and themselves. A patriot is an American that serves the United States of America, and Americans like the women standing behind me,” she added, referring to the Epstein victims.

“The only thing that will speak to the powerful, courageous women behind me is when action is actually taken to release these files and the American people won’t tolerate any other bulls—,” Greene said.

Contributing: Joey Garrison and Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why are Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump fighting? What to know.

Reporting by Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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