Marjorie Taylor Greene’s sudden decision to resign from Congress has set off a political row, with many in the MAGA base asking whether a fight over H1-B visas, a push to release Epstein-related files or her public feud with Donald Trump finally pushed her out. Greene will step down on January 5, 2026, ending a tenure marked by controversy, loyalty swings and unending clashes with her own party.
The Republican Congresswoman’s departure follows months of tension with Trump, who went from calling her one of his strongest allies to openly criticising her. Greene’s break with the POTUS did not happen overnight. It built up through policy disputes, personal attacks and a sense of isolation as she clashed with Republican leadership on several national issues. Taken together, here are five major factors that could have driven her to step down.
1) The Epstein files
Greene’s loud push for the government to release more documents linked to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein created friction inside the GOP. The harder she pressed for full disclosure, the more she irritated Trump’s allies, and the disagreement eventually grew into a full-scale rift. Many in Washington see this as the moment the relationship between Trump and Greene finally broke. Although Trump has now agreed to the release of the Epstein files after realising he could not block the House votes, the clash still stands out. Greene had been demanding the disclosures long before Trump backed down, which only deepened the sense that she was willing to defy him on an issue he once tried to avoid. She even participated in several press conferences and spoke on the “Epstein Files Transparency Act.”The Justice Department now has 30 days to make the files public, a deadline that falls only days before Greene’s resignation takes effect.
2) Clashes over H-1B visas, health care and foreign aid
Once seen as reliably aligned with Trump, Greene began breaking with him on several policy issues. She criticised any expansion of H-1B visas, pushed for certain health care subsidies and objected to foreign aid packages. Those differences frustrated senior Republicans who were trying to compromise on those positions for the sake of US economy, leaving Greene isolated with her opinion. She even argued that Trump was wrong to say the United States “has no talent” and accused him of betraying his “America First” stance. Greene also backed a bill calling for an end to H-1B visas altogether and for relying solely on domestic workers.
3) The Mar-a-Lago breakup
The feud turned especially bitter when Trump publicly withdrew his endorsement and hinted he would support a challenger against her. Greene called the move a betrayal and said she would not put her district through “a hateful primary engineered from Mar-a-Lago.” It was a sharp jab, particularly because both the GOP and many on the progressive left long viewed Greene as one of the central MAGA figures who helped fuel Trump’s rise in the first place.The POTUS now calls MGT “Marjorie TRAITOR Greene”, a name right-winger Laura Loomer claims Trump borrowed from her.
4) Bomb threats, hoax pizza deliveries and more
According to police reports and Greene’s own public statements, the congresswoman has faced a series of escalating threats in recent months, including multiple swatting incidents where false emergency calls sent armed officers to her home, hoax pizza deliveries she said were intended to intimidate her, and a bomb-squad response after authorities received an email claiming a pipe bomb had been planted in her mailbox. The email, which police said appeared to come from an IP address linked to Russia, triggered a full security check and later became part of a wider investigation involving federal agencies. Greene has argued that the harassment intensified after her feud with Donald Trump and said the constant danger has taken a toll on her family. Even MGT’s daughter posted online asking people to “pray for my mother.”
5) A strategic retreat?
Greene framed her exit as a refusal to take part in what she called a destructive, party-splitting primary. She criticised the Republican machinery for serving consultants, billionaire donors and tech corporations rather than voters, and hinted that she may return to public life in a different role outside Congress. Her departure weakens the GOP’s already narrow majority and underscores deeper fractures within the party. Allies say her exit will be felt sharply, arguing that she remains a significant political figure even beyond her MAGA base. Much like Democrat Ro Khanna, Greene has often presented herself as someone capable of crossing party lines when it suits her populist message, insisting that she is a people’s representative who would rather serve Americans directly than remain in a position she believes has been corrupted by internal power struggles.All in all, MGT has said she refuses to be a “battered wife,” noting that she travelled extensively, fought many battles on Trump’s behalf, and sacrificed crucial time with her family — only to be branded a traitor in the end.
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