Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Break With Trump: A Rift Over Epstein Files and the Future of MAGA

WASHINGTON — In the waning days of her congressional tenure, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has emerged as an unlikely critic of former President Donald J. Trump, revealing a deeply personal fallout that centers on his refusal to release unredacted files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation. In an extensive interview with The New York Times, Ms. Greene described a tense phone conversation with Mr. Trump, conducted on speakerphone in the presence of witnesses, where he allegedly dismissed her pleas to declassify the documents, citing concerns that they would harm his “friends” — a group that, according to Ms. Greene and others familiar with the exchange, likely includes influential figures in his orbit and possibly himself.

The conversation, which Ms. Greene said occurred just weeks before her decision to resign, underscored a broader bipartisan push for transparency. Ms. Greene had aligned herself with Representatives Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican known for his libertarian leanings, and Ro Khanna, a progressive Democrat from California, in advocating for the release of the Epstein files. This unusual coalition echoed calls from figures like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, highlighting a rare moment of cross-aisle consensus on an issue that has long symbolized institutional failures in addressing sexual exploitation. “It’s horrifying,” Ms. Greene said in the interview, emphasizing the plight of Epstein’s victims — ordinary American women without the resources of the elite. “These aren’t rich, powerful people with someone paying for their trips. They represent the failures of the federal government and Congress to the American people.”

Ms. Greene’s relationship with The New York Times reporter dates back to her election in 2021, when initial off-the-record discussions laid the groundwork for ongoing dialogues. This latest sit-down, conducted as she prepares to leave office on Jan. 3, 2027 — following her surprise announcement not to seek re-election — painted a portrait of a politician grappling with disillusionment. She traced her resignation not only to the Epstein dispute but also to Mr. Trump’s public remarks at a memorial event for Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who died in 2025 under circumstances that remain contentious. At the event, Mr. Trump rejected a call for forgiveness toward Mr. Kirk’s alleged assailant, declaring, “There’s no way I would. I have hate in my heart, and I’ll hate him forever.” Ms. Greene, a self-described devout Christian, viewed this as a betrayal of faith principles. “That was not true Christian faith,” she told the reporter, adding that it forced her to confront “the man he really was” — a realization she said had been building since Mr. Trump’s 2015 campaign launch, which she now critiques for its inflammatory rhetoric against Mexican immigrants.

Despite her break with Mr. Trump, Ms. Greene insists she remains committed to conservative policies, though she has grown vocal about Republican shortcomings. In the interview, she recounted a heated exchange with House Speaker Mike Johnson during a GOP conference call, where she demanded clarity on the party’s healthcare agenda. “I yelled at Mike Johnson last week,” she said. “The country deserves a single healthcare policy, and it shouldn’t be a secret. I shouldn’t have to go into a SCIF to find our Republican health insurance plan.” She lamented the lack of consensus, calling it “a failure” amid ongoing debates over repealing the Affordable Care Act without a viable replacement. This criticism comes as Republicans face mounting pressure from voters on affordability issues, with Mr. Trump recently dismissing economic concerns as “a hoax” in public statements.

The Epstein files have become a flashpoint in Ms. Greene’s narrative of betrayal. She described standing with victims outside the Capitol, refusing to withdraw her name from a discharge petition aimed at forcing a vote on declassification. In response, Mr. Trump branded her a “traitor” — a label she forcefully rejected. “A traitor is an American that serves foreign countries and themselves,” she said in a press conference. “A patriot serves the United States and Americans like the women standing behind me.” This stance, she argued, cost her politically within the MAGA faction, but she framed her exit as a principled stand rather than cowardice. Critics, including some conservatives, have questioned her bravery, suggesting that true courage would involve staying to fight from within.

The rift has exposed fractures in the MAGA movement, which Ms. Greene once championed. She now distances herself from it, promoting “America First” as a distinct ethos untethered to Mr. Trump’s personal brand. In a striking admission, she revealed she no longer tunes into Fox News, deeming it “not factually accurate” — a critique that aligns with broader concerns about media misinformation eroding democratic discourse. Rupert Murdoch’s network, long a pillar of conservative messaging, has faced lawsuits and scrutiny for its role in amplifying falsehoods, including those surrounding the 2020 election.

Mr. Trump’s camp has pushed back aggressively. In a post on his social media platform, he called Ms. Greene “not America First or MAGA” and her views those of “a very dumb person.” The White House, under President [Current President, assuming context], has reiterated that Mr. Trump remains the de facto leader of the Republican base, though analysts note a defensive tone. “His response shows they realize he’s no longer the unchallenged leader,” one Democratic strategist observed, speaking on condition of anonymity. Ms. Greene, in a CNN interview with Wolf Blitzer, expressed pity for Mr. Trump: “I feel very sorry for him. It’s a hard place to be so hateful.”

As Ms. Greene eyes her next chapter — speculation swirls about potential alliances with figures like Tucker Carlson or funding from Elon Musk — her defection signals evolving dynamics in American conservatism. Whether this heralds a broader realignment or merely a personal reckoning remains unclear, but it underscores the enduring tensions between loyalty and principle in a polarized era. For Epstein’s victims, the unresolved files symbolize not just a cover-up, but a test of whether average Americans can hold the powerful accountable.