With former President Donald Trump indicted by a grand jury in Manhattan, it opens up the latest avenue for Republican firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene to continue her newly earned role of dominance in the GOP. Infamous for her often controversial and incendiary public statements, those who've laughed at Greene in the past might want to be more cautious in sizing her up. Especially these days.
Greene, representing Georgia's 14th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, is a rising star in the 21st-century version of the Republican Party, a version whose true colors have shown through as a result of Trump's own rise to power. A few years ago, most of us would never have heard of Greene. Where did she come from?
Her congressional career began in 2019 when a House seat became open in the deep red Georgia district she now represents. Greene saw an opening and went to work. She began by purchasing a house in the district so she could call it home. Then, with her new address and the aid of her family's considerable wealth, she was able to overwhelm her Republican challengers, easily winning the seat.
And now, you can bet, the seat is hers for life, if she chooses. That is, unless her eyes are set on an even bigger prize. Pay close enough attention and you can almost see her plotting.
In the new narrowly Republican-controlled House that came as a result of the 2022 midterm elections, Greene cemented her role as a power player in the party. In fact, it can be argued that she's as powerful a figure as Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy of California. Greene wields an unsizable amount of influence over the newly minted speaker, and that's because McCarthy owes her, big time. We should have seen this coming.
You need to go back only as far as January when McCarthy so desperately wanted the job. The then speaker-wanna-be was willing to trade and promise, it seems, just about anything to get it. We're still not quite sure what he bartered to gain support from right-wing extremists in the Republican House. One thing we can be sure of is that with the debt he owes Greene, he has become like putty in her hands. But don't take my word for it.
After finally winning the speakership in an embarrassing series of losses on the House floor, there was no doubt how much McCarthy owed her. Greene worked diligently behind the scenes to get him over the top during what was, at times, a humiliating road to victory for McCarthy. But he didn't care. Getting the job, at any cost, was all that mattered to him.
After his victory, McCarthy was effervescent in his praise, acknowledging the important role Greene had played in his win. "I will never leave that woman," he gushed. "I will always take good care of her." And he wasn't talking about his wife.
McCarthy immediately reinstated Greene's committee assignments. In February 2021, shortly after she became a representative, House Democrats were joined by 11 Republicans in a bipartisan vote to strip Greene of her committee seats. Those votes came as a result of her endorsement of a number of extremist conspiracy theories, copied to her social media pages.
Greene shared posts that allegedly advocated violence against then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California. She also claimed that a space laser started one of 2021's California wildfires to benefit a Jewish bank. Later mocked for what would come to be known as her "Jewish space laser" comment, Greene became a bit of a national joke, comic fodder for the late-night talk shows. But we may not be laughing for long.
Greene appears to have taken a certain amount of delight in the controversies she's stirred up as a member of Congress. A former QAnon follower, she had, at one point, become a liability to Republicans. But that was during the first two years of the new Biden administration when Democrats controlled the House. That has all changed.
With the new Republican House majority, Greene had begun scratching her way back to relevancy. Helping McCarthy win was part of her plan. She wanted him indebted to her. Mission accomplished. Now she could turn up the volume on her outlandish public statements and, with her newfound power, it wouldn't be so easy to silence her.
Buttering up McCarthy was only part of her plan. During the votes for House speaker, Greene had a direct line to the former president. Close-ups of her cell phone caught on camera showed Trump's name on the screen as she plotted with him to get the votes McCarthy would need. Now, not only is McCarthy hopelessly devoted to Greene, she is a darling of the newly indicted former president.
Defeated by Joe Biden in the 2020 election — a victory Trump, Greene and the entire MAGA faction of the "new" Republican Party claims he “won" — Trump announced he will run for president again in 2024. At his first large campaign rally held last month in Waco, Texas, Greene was there, where she was showered with praise.
Trump suggested at the rally that he would like to see her run for a Senate seat in 2024. "Would you like to run for Senate?” he asked. "I would fight like hell for you." Trump wasn't finished, saying of Greene, "People do not realize how brilliant she is. She is just a badass." Well, it's easy to agree with him on that last part.
Seems Trump would like to place Greene in the same role as he did Herschel Walker, his hand-picked candidate who ran against incumbent Sen. Raphel Warnock, D-Ga., during the 2022 midterms, and lost. Is Trump setting Greene up to take on freshman Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., when he's up for reelection in 2026?
Or maybe Greene has her eyes on an even bigger prize. At this early stage of the battle for the 2024 presidential election, Trump is the clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination. His most serious challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, is best viewed as "Trump-Light." If he chooses to run, the governor will discover that beating Trump is no easy task. The far-right MAGA wing makes up roughly one-third of today's Republican Party. They will vote for Trump in the primary season, no matter who runs against him.
And, about that Manhattan indictment, or any others to come: They do not prevent Trump from running for office. It's that whole "innocent until proven guilty" thing. Greene is already on the job defending Trump. As soon as an arraignment date was set for his indictment, she rushed to Manhattan to take part in protests in support of the ex-president.
Trump was hoping for a huge turnout of supporters in his hometown. In fact, he had encouraged it on his Truth Social page. As it turns out, the called-for protests were basically a wash, with counter-protestors and journalists equaling those who showed up in support of Trump. But Greene was there, her words before the small crowds drowned out by those not supporting the former president. Still, she was able to get in a few words for her guy.
"Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today," Greene said, while riding in a limousine (where she could be heard) with a right-wing news broadcaster. "Nelson Mandela was arrested, served time in prison. Jesus — Jesus was arrested and murdered by the Roman government."
Dalliances with and financial coverups involving adult film stars notwithstanding, Greene said Trump joins the ranks of people who have been arrested and persecuted by "radical, corrupt governments."
And so on to 2024 we go. In a crowded field of candidates, we could see a repeat of 2016 where Trump wins the nomination without needing 50% of the vote in the Republican winner-take-all primaries. If enough candidates enter the field, Trump will likely secure the nomination — just like last time. He'll need a running mate and, you can bet, it won't be Mike Pence, who he has completely turned against. Calling Marjorie Taylor Greene? Don't laugh. Not likely, but it could happen.
At the very least, if Trump were elected again, if not the vice-presidency, it's a safe bet Greene is guaranteed a cabinet position. Until then, she has plenty with which to keep herself amused, and the rest of us worried. Not much more than a freshman in Congress, she has an unsettling amount of influence in the Republican Party. That party's extremist wing is now in charge of the U.S. House of Representatives. And, make no mistake, Greene is their true leader.
So those who've dismissed her in the past might want to temper their laughter as history moves along. Don't forget, Greene is a "badass."
Elijah Jones is a proud Hattiesburg native who enjoys writing. Email him at edjhubtown@aol.com.
