Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has announced that she will resign from Congress on January 5, 2026, marking the end of a turbulent five-year tenure in the House of Representatives. The announcement comes less than a week after former President Donald Trump publicly denounced Greene, signaling a dramatic shift in the relationship between the two prominent Republican figures. Greene’s resignation caps a political career characterized by controversy, outspokenness, and evolving alliances within the Republican Party.
Greene’s entrance into politics was relatively recent and unconventional. Prior to her political career, she had little direct involvement in the political arena. She and her husband operated a commercial contracting business they purchased from her father, and she later opened a CrossFit gym in suburban Atlanta. However, her political views began to take shape during the 2016 presidential campaign when she started posting stories and videos online. These early postings were notable for their embrace of various conspiracy theories, which would become a hallmark of her public persona.
Among the most controversial claims Greene made early on were suggestions that the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting was a staged event designed to promote stricter gun control laws. In 2018, she endorsed the conspiracy theory that the U.S. government was involved in orchestrating the attacks of September 11, 2001. She also made inflammatory remarks about Muslim Congresswomen Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, falsely claiming they were not legitimate members of Congress because they used Qurans instead of Bibles during their swearing-in ceremonies.
Greene fully entered the political fray in 2020 by running in the Republican primary for a competitive congressional district in suburban Atlanta. Initially, she sought to represent one district but shifted to the 14th District of northwest Georgia after the incumbent announced retirement. This district was heavily Republican, and Greene’s campaign was marked by her public support for QAnon, a widely debunked conspiracy theory involving allegations of a secret global cabal engaged in child sex trafficking and other nefarious activities. Although Greene later distanced herself from QAnon, saying she was “sucked into some of the things I had seen on the internet,” her association with the movement helped define her early political identity.
Greene won the Republican nomination in a runoff election and faced little opposition in the general election after the Democratic candidate withdrew. Once elected, some of her most extreme views came under greater scrutiny. For instance, she had previously claimed that California wildfires were caused by “Jewish space lasers” controlled by the Rothschild banking family, a statement widely condemned as antisemitic. Greene later claimed she was unaware of the Rothschild family’s Jewish heritage.
The Democratic-controlled House responded swiftly to Greene’s controversial statements. Within weeks of her taking office, she was removed from both of her committee assignments due to her promotion of “hateful and violent conspiracy theories.” This decision was supported by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including eleven Republicans. Despite being sidelined, Greene capitalized on her notoriety by raising millions of dollars through small donations, maintaining a high profile by continuing to provoke her political opponents.
Throughout her time in Congress, Greene remained a polarizing figure, frequently clashing with Democrats and stirring political drama. She was involved in high-profile disputes with Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett of Texas and publicly heckled President Joe Biden during a State of the Union address, calling him a “liar.” Greene also challenged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi by joining a lawsuit against Pelosi’s mask mandate on the House floor during the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating her willingness to confront Democratic leadership on procedural issues.
When Republicans regained the House majority in 2022, Greene’s fortunes improved. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reinstated her to committee assignments and brought her into his inner circle as a close adviser. During this period, Greene aligned herself closely with McCarthy and was a vocal supporter of former President Trump, often appearing alongside him at rallies in Georgia and other battleground states.
However, the relationship between Greene and Trump began to deteriorate in 2023. Greene’s growing dissatisfaction with the Republican establishment and Trump himself became apparent when she announced in May that she would not run for the U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff. Trump later revealed he had sent Greene a poll indicating she had little chance of winning the race, which may have contributed to her decision. Greene also declined to run for governor of Georgia, criticizing what she described as a