Trump’s MAGA Empire Cracks as Greene’s Resignation Ignites GOP Civil War, Leaving Allies Reeling

By Jonathan Weisman and Catie Edmondson Washington — Nov. 22, 2025

President Donald J. Trump, the architect of a Republican Party remade in his bombastic image, confronted a mutiny from within his own MAGA fortress on Friday as Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia — once his most fervent congressional champion — announced her abrupt resignation, citing a “toxic betrayal” by the White House that had left her feeling like “a battered wife hoping it all goes away.” The defection, coming amid a cascade of off-year election defeats and policy reversals, has erupted into a full-blown civil war among Republicans, with hard-line allies accusing Mr. Trump of abandoning core promises on issues like Epstein file transparency and fiscal restraint, while moderates whisper of a post-Trump realignment to salvage the party’s midterm prospects. As special elections loom in Ms. Greene’s safely red district and others, Mr. Trump lashed out on Truth Social, branding her a “wacky traitor” and vowing primary revenge, but the schism has left Capitol Hill scrambling, with House Speaker Mike Johnson pleading for unity in a party that now risks flipping to Democratic control by 2026.

Ms. Greene’s 10-minute video announcement, posted to X late Friday and viewed over 5 million times by Saturday morning, marked a stunning rupture in a relationship that defined MAGA’s congressional wing. The Georgia firebrand, elected in 2020 on vows to “expose the swamp” and oust Mr. Trump’s critics, had been a loyalist through his impeachments, the January 6 Capitol riot and his 2024 comeback. But in recent weeks, she broke ranks over Mr. Trump’s stonewalling of a bipartisan bill mandating the release of Jeffrey Epstein’s Justice Department files — a measure she co-sponsored, arguing it would “drain the deepest swamp of all.” When the White House lobbied against it, fearing revelations of Mr. Trump’s 1990s ties to the financier, Ms. Greene accused him of “protecting pedophiles over patriots” in a floor speech that drew rebukes from Trump allies like Representatives Matt Gaetz of Florida and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

“I came to Congress to fight for truth, not to be muzzled by a president who promised transparency but delivers cover-ups,” Ms. Greene said in the video, her voice cracking as she referenced the Epstein impasse alongside frustrations over Mr. Trump’s leaked Ukraine peace plan — which cedes Crimea to Russia in exchange for aid caps — and his veto threats on domestic spending cuts. “This isn’t MAGA; it’s MAGA Mike Johnson and his weak-kneed enablers selling out to the donor class. I won’t be their punching bag anymore.” The resignation, effective Jan. 5, triggers a special election in her northwest Georgia district, where she won by 33 points in 2024, but Democrats have already pledged $1 million through their congressional campaign arm, framing it as a referendum on “Trump’s crumbling cult.”

Mr. Trump’s response was volcanic. In a pre-dawn Saturday Truth Social post viewed over 12 million times, he thundered: “WACKY MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE QUITS like the LOSER she is — a TRAITOR who stabbed me in the back over FAKE Epstein HOAX! She was NEVER MAGA, just a publicity hound. Kentucky MAGA PAC will CRUSH her in primaries — but she’s DONE! Weak Republicans like her are why we FIGHT!” The outburst, echoing his June excommunication of Representative Thomas Massie over Iran strike criticisms, amplified a super PAC’s $500,000 ad buy targeting Ms. Greene’s potential successors. Yet it backfired spectacularly: Allies like Mr. Gaetz, who once hailed her as “MAGA royalty,” posted a cryptic X message: “Loyalty cuts both ways — when the boss turns, we remember.” Ms. Boebert, facing her own primary whispers, retweeted Ms. Greene’s video with: “Sisters in the fight — truth over tyranny.”

The defection has detonated a GOP civil war in real time, with factions hardening along fault lines exposed by the 43-day shutdown and off-year losses. Hard-liners in the Freedom Caucus, including Representatives Chip Roy of Texas and Andy Harris of Maryland, rallied to Ms. Greene in a closed-door Saturday huddle, demanding Mr. Johnson schedule votes on Epstein declassification and border wall funding by Christmas — or face a “motion to vacate” the speakership. “Marjorie’s the canary in the coal mine — Trump’s ditching America First for donor deals and foreign fiascos,” Mr. Roy said in a statement, his words a direct shot at the Ukraine plan’s architects. Moderates, led by Representatives Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, countered with a letter signed by 28 members urging “bipartisan reset” to avert special-election wipeouts, warning that further resignations could hand Democrats the gavel by February.

Mr. Johnson, 53, emerged shaken from the caucus, his evangelical calm fraying in a hallway scrum with reporters. “We’re family — families fight, but we don’t quit,” he said, but his voice wavered as he acknowledged the peril: “With four seats in play now, one flip and we’re in the minority. The president knows this — he’s committed to unity.” Aides leaked that Mr. Johnson spent Saturday pleading with Mr. Trump for a Rose Garden photo op with holdouts, but the call ended in shouts over Epstein veto threats. Polling from a G.O.P.-aligned firm, circulated among donors, showed the party’s House lead evaporating to 1 point, with independents fleeing amid perceptions of “MAGA implosion.”

Democrats, smelling blood, mobilized swiftly. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called an emergency news conference Saturday, replaying Ms. Greene’s video: “Even Trump’s ride-or-die is riding away — this civil war is our Christmas gift.” His team ramped up ad buys in the special-election districts, tying the chaos to shutdown hardships and the East Wing demolition. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., scheduled a Monday vote on the Epstein bill, betting it could lure enough Republicans to override a veto and humiliate the White House.

The schism traces to Mr. Trump’s post-inauguration stumbles: The shutdown’s economic toll, tariff-induced price spikes and the FCC’s late-night crackdown have alienated the base, while foreign policy U-turns — from Iran bombings to Ukraine concessions — have enraged isolationists. Ms. Greene, once the face of MAGA fury, had evolved into a critic of the administration’s “neocon drift,” questioning unconditional Israel aid and Gaza policy in recent speeches that drew primary threats from Trump-backed PACs.

For Mr. Trump, the Greene detonation is a personal gut punch. Elected on vows of party purity, his second term now risks fracturing the coalition that delivered his 2024 win. Historians like Julian Zelizer of Princeton liken it to the 1994 Gingrich revolution’s unraveling: “MAGA was Trump’s sword — now it’s turning on him.” On X, #GreeneDefection trended with 3.1 million mentions, from her video clips to memes of Mr. Trump as a crumbling colossus.

As Saturday faded, Mr. Johnson retreated to the speaker’s balcony for calls with Mr. Trump, seeking détente. But with more resignations rumored — including from Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw — the war shows no truce. In a party forged in Trump’s fire, a top ally’s nuke isn’t just shockwave — it’s schism.