Only the rarest of politicians become known by their initials: FDR, JFK, RFK, LBJ, AOC and now MTG.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a conservative Christian, was elected to Congress from Georgia’s 14th district in 2020 on the slogan “SAVE AMERICA – STOP SOCIALISM.”
A staunch Trump Republican, she stood out almost immediately for her controversial statements. She had barely taken office when, in a blatantly political move, in February 2021, House Democrats stripped her of committee assignments for allegedly advocating political violence.
She and U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) seemed to be a conservative counterweight to AOC’s “Squad,” but her restroom quarrel with Boebert led to her expulsion from the conservative House Freedom Caucus. She stood loyally with Trump in his claims that the 2020 election was stolen and was mostly a solid conservative vote. But some Republicans were embarrassed by her embrace of conspiracy theories and other allegedly extreme positions.
As Trump entered his second term in 2025, MTG generally supported his policies but sharply criticized others, such as his initial reluctance to release the Epstein files. Trump finally broke with her in November 2025, calling “Wacky Margie” and a “ranting lunatic.” Shortly thereafter, MTG submitted her resignation from Congress, effective January 5, 2026, citing her frustration with her inability to work effectively in the current Congress.
But she now says she was motivated to resign by the funeral of Charlie Kirk, at which Kirk’s widow Erika announced that she had decided to forgive her husband’s alleged assassin, because that’s what Charlie would have done. Trump responded, “That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent and I don’t want the best for them.” MTG broke with Trump at that point, saying his statement “proves he does not have any faith.”
So who’s right – Erika Kirk or Donald Trump? Erika, of course, because Jesus told us to “Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, pray for them which despitefully use you” (Luke 6:27). That doesn’t mean Kirk’s alleged assassin shouldn’t be prosecuted and, if guilty, punished under the law. But we should not carry bitterness in our hearts. True warriors fight, not out of hatred, but out of duty. I’m a hardened warrior, but Trump’s statement made even me wince.
But should we withdraw support for Trump because of a statement like that? I don’t think so. The Christian character and profession of a national leader are very important because they set the moral and spiritual tone for the nation. The President is a commander in chief, not a pastor in chief, and it is crucially important that he understands the crisis we are in and be able to act decisively to set things right. I hope Christian leaders like Erika Kirk and Franklin Graham will show Trump his error, but there is some truth to Machiavelli’s dictum that it is better for a prince to be feared than to be loved, if one cannot be both.
So what do we say to MTG-"Good riddance," or "We'll miss you?"
On the one hand, she has been a divisive figure among House Republicans, and her conspiracy theories have sometimes been irresponsible and damaging to the conservative cause. I really can’t see that she has accomplished much in her two-plus terms in Congress.
But there’s also something refreshing about MTG. She’s been willing to apologize when proven wrong, as when she spoke of the QAnon Conspiracy and when she compared repressive COVID measures to the persecution of Jews in the Holocaust. And she seems willing to learn and grow in her conservative ideology and Christian life.
I hope we haven’t seen the last of her.
If there’s room on the left for AOC, there ought to be room enough for MTG on the right.
Colonel Eidsmoe serves as Professor of Constitutional Law for the Oak Brook College of Law (obcl.edu) and as Senior Counsel for the Foundation for Moral Law (morallaw.org). He and his wife Marlene live in rural Pike Road, Ala., and may be contacted for speaking engagements at [email protected].
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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