Marjorie Taylor Greene’s split with Trump tests her Georgia voters

When Bill Newton gathers with his buddies at Doug’s Diner in downtown Rome, Georgia, it is a politically diverse crew: Two staunch Democrats, of which he is one; two moderate Republicans; and one wealthy Republican who backs Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Amid the breakfast bustle, the group talks politics and local gossip. It is the kind of social gathering that might seem elusive in a polarized, scorched-earth era, one which Ms. Greene, a MAGA firebrand first elected to Congress in 2020, has come to personify. Here in this Atlanta exurb, home to middle-class dreams and working-class struggles, is Ms. Greene’s world, studded with modest housing developments, strip malls, and roadside gyms – all wedged into the Appalachian foothills.

In Ms. Greene’s ruby-red district, support for President Donald Trump runs deep, which is why their highly publicized spat is the talk of this diner counter. In recent weeks, she has broken with Mr. Trump on Israel policy, health-care premiums, inflation, and, most notably, the release of the Justice Department’s files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She was one of four GOP lawmakers who sided with Democrats over the Epstein matter, ultimately forcing Mr. Trump to reverse course and sign a bill on Wednesday to release the files.

In return, Mr. Trump has ridiculed Ms. Greene, who had been among his most ardent and outspoken supporters, and labeled her a traitor. None of which has cowed her. “I’ve never owed him anything,” she said at a press conference on Tuesday, held with some of Mr. Epstein’s victims. She said she fought for President Trump and “for America first,” and then he called her a traitor “for standing with these women.”

“Let me tell you what a traitor is. A traitor is an American that serves foreign countries and themselves. A patriot is an American that serves the United States of America, and Americans like the women standing behind me,” she said.

Her refusal to back down has fueled talk of a split within the MAGA coalition and of a possible dilution of Mr. Trump’s near-absolute sway over the Republican base. It has also raised questions about Ms. Greene’s political future and whether she will moderate her caustic political style, and, if so, to what end. On Sunday, she told CNN’s “State of the Union” that she regretted taking part in “toxic politics,” saying that the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk had prompted her to reflect on her combative rhetoric.

Among Republicans going about their daily lives in Ms. Greene’s district, there is respect for her policy positions and a degree of frustration with the president they voted for. Many cast their votes in hopes of better economic times.

Greg Ledbetter works for a company in Rome that makes styrofoam bait coolers. He reckons America “has her bounce back” under Mr. Trump and that inflation is under control. But he’s also a fan of Ms. Greene, who he says “looks out for the lower and middle classes, which is where I fit in.” He wants to uncover all the facts about Mr. Epstein and thinks that Mr. Trump is too focused on foreign policy and not on “America First.”

“In some ways, Trump is not doing everything he could be doing for the people, and I think she is, or is trying,” he says.

Most Trump supporters in northeastern Georgia don’t pay close attention to Washington politics, says David Pennington, the former mayor of Dalton, a carpet-making city north of Rome. But they certainly feel the pinch of a slowing economy and “mindboggling” rises in health-care premiums. While he’s not been a supporter of Ms. Greene, Mr. Pennington says he is happy to see GOP lawmakers like Ms. Greene buck Mr. Trump and refocus on the economy.

But it’s hard to be a Trump critic inside the party, he warns. “It’s a balancing act. A lot of her voters are Trump voters, and they support him regardless of what he does.”

“She’s a central character of our age”

By calling Ms. Greene a traitor, Mr. Trump is turning a policy disagreement into a personal feud that is hard to square with her record, says Amy Steigerwalt, a political science professor at Georgia State University. Her criticisms over health-care and grocery prices are “channeling the interests of her constituents,” while the release of the Epstein files was a campaign promise to the MAGA base. “It seems so farcical to say this person who has been such a bastion of support can’t express a differing view on a couple of things,” she says.

Mr. Trump has vowed to support a primary challenger to Ms. Greene, who was unopposed in her last primary and won reelection by nearly 30 points.

“There are a lot of folks in town who stand behind Trump who are questioning her,” says Ansley, a real estate agent who didn’t want to give her last name for fear of alienating potential clients. A Democrat, Ansley hasn’t voted for Ms. Greene, but that could change. “I always thought she was too radical, but it seems like she’s had an epiphany. It seems she’s trying to do the right thing.”

Back at the diner, Mr. Newton, a retired lawyer, says he’s not a fan of Ms. Greene’s politics or her firebrand style. But it’s different when she stops by the diner to talk, as she sometimes does. “In person, she is very affable and pleasant, and interestingly, she never talks politics,” he says. “I do think she’s a central character of our age. In that way, I hope the change in her is sincere.”

A former gym owner, Ms. Greene won her first election in 2020 as an outsider. She quickly plunged into controversy in Congress over her spreading of conspiracy theories related to the 2020 election, coronavirus vaccines, and other topics. She has also made controversial remarks critical of Jews, Muslims, and Black Americans. Even Republican lawmakers sometimes kept their distance. When Mr. Trump faced legal jeopardy over efforts to overturn the 2020 election that he lost, Ms. Greene never wavered in her support and her fierce partisanship.

That makes her an unlikely voice of reason in Washington. But her willingness to defy the White House and to advocate for pocketbook policies on CNN and other outlets “gives her national prominence and a lot of flexibility,” says Matt Wylie, a GOP strategist based in South Carolina.

For example, Ms. Greene says her constituents are worried about grocery costs and that while Mr. Trump has lowered inflation since taking office, it’s still a pressing issue. “So, gaslighting the people and trying to tell them that prices have come down is not helping. It’s actually infuriating people,” she told the Sean Spicer Show. (Mr. Trump has repeatedly said prices “are way down” and that inflation “is almost nonexistent.”)

What matters to voters in Georgia’s 14th District

Analysts say any primary challenger will struggle to unseat Ms. Greene, given her MAGA credentials and fundraising skills. She also has support from state and local Republicans in Georgia, whose governor, Brian Kemp, has carved out his own political lane and easily defeated a Trump-endorsed challenger in 2022.

“Recent national criticism directed at Congresswoman Greene does not change the fundamental truth that she serves at the direction of the people of this district,” Jim Tully, chairman of the Georgia Republican Party for the 14th District, posted on social media. “We remain confident in her ability to represent our district with honor and conviction.”

Mr. Wylie says the White House should be more focused on the midterm threat from Democrats and on the cost-of-living issues that Ms. Greene has surfaced. And at a time when Republicans in Congress have been beholden to Mr. Trump, Ms. Greene could now have “the leverage to come out and assert the leadership that’s missing.”

Whether her shift in tone and priorities is a political calculation or a Damascene conversion is not yet clear. But to some in her district, it’s a welcome departure, perhaps a first step towards a more inviting public square, the kind still found in places like Mr. Newton’s gatherings. Down the street from the diner, public works employees are decorating a Christmas tree; one worker nimbly tosses up fragile ornaments to a colleague in a cherry picker.

In Mr. Ledbetter’s view, Ms. Greene’s “apology wasn’t a sign of weakness. Apologies can make you look strong. It shows you care and that you want to do better.”

Steve Morgan, a farmer gassing up his faded GMC truck just outside Rome, is more skeptical. On one hand, the split from Trump suggests that Ms. Greene’s ear is tuned to the ground in her district, given that she is willing to risk so much – including what she has said are threats to her life. But that doesn’t mean Mr. Morgan would vote for her come election time.

“They tell you what they want you to hear,’’ he says of politicians. “And then they do what they want to do.’’

Patrik Jonsson reported from Rome, Georgia, and Simon Montlake from Boston.