type: timeline_event
President Donald Trump launched a sustained public attack against one of his most loyal congressional allies, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), withdrawing his endorsement on Friday, November 14, 2025, and escalating his rhetoric through the weekend with multiple derogatory nicknames and accusations that she had become "the RINO that we all know she always was." The public rupture occurred days after Greene signed a bipartisan discharge petition to force release of Jeffrey Epstein investigation files and coincided with an upcoming House vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, leading Greene to accuse Trump of retaliatory conduct designed to intimidate other Republicans.
On Friday night, Trump announced on Truth Social that he was withdrawing his support for Greene, calling her a "ranting lunatic" and stating he could not "take a ranting Lunatic's call every day" given his responsibilities overseeing Congress, the Senate, Cabinet, and nearly 200 countries. Trump complained that "all I see 'Wacky' Marjorie do is COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN!" and vowed to provide "complete and unyielding support" for "the right person" if someone challenged Greene in a 2026 Republican primary. On Saturday, November 15, Trump escalated his attacks with a Truth Social post declaring that Greene "betrayed the entire Republican Party when she turned Left, performed poorly on the pathetic View, and became the RINO that we all know she always was." Over the 24-hour period, Trump deployed multiple nicknames for his former ally, including "Wacky Marjorie," "Marjorie Taylor Brown" (with a comment about green grass turning brown when it rots), and "Marjorie 'Traitor' Greene."
Greene directly linked Trump's attacks to her support for releasing the Epstein files. She told reporters that she had texted Trump about the Epstein Files Transparency Act discharge petition, stating "that's what sent him over the edge" and that Trump was "coming after me hard to make an example to scare all the other Republicans before next weeks vote." Greene was one of only four House Republicans—along with Thomas Massie, Lauren Boebert, and Nancy Mace—who signed the bipartisan discharge petition that reached 218 signatures on November 12, forcing a floor vote over Speaker Mike Johnson's opposition and despite direct pressure from Trump and administration officials. Greene publicly questioned why the administration was fighting "so hard" against releasing the files, stating she had "no idea what's in the files" but that women she'd spoken with insisted Trump "did nothing wrong."
Following Trump's public attacks, Greene reported receiving death threats, hoax pizza deliveries to her home and family members' residences, and a pipe bomb threat at her construction company's office building. On Sunday, November 17, police in Rome, Georgia received two email assassination threats targeting Greene's 22-year-old son, Derek Green. The emails, sent from the same address, stated "I am going to assassinate MTG's son" and "I already have the plane ticket booked ... MTG's son will have his life snuffed out soon." Rome Police forwarded the threats to the U.S. Secret Service for investigation. Greene posted on X that "President Trump's unwarranted and vicious attacks against me were a dog whistle to dangerous radicals that could lead to serious attacks on me and my family," warning that calling her a "traitor" created conditions that "could ultimately lead to a harmful or even deadly outcome." Greene stated: "Now that President Trump has called me a traitor, which is absolutely untrue and horrific ... this puts blood in the water and creates a feeding frenzy."
When asked by reporters on Sunday evening whether his comments were putting Greene's life in danger, Trump responded: "I don't think her life is in danger. I don't think, frankly, I don't think anybody cares about her." Trump also denied responsibility for the threats in a Truth Social post, writing: "She is working overtime to try to portray herself as a victim when, in actuality, she is the cause of all of her own problems." Greene, who had been one of Trump's most vocal defenders since joining Congress in 2021, responded to Trump's attacks by stating: "I supported him with significant time and money but I don't worship or serve Donald Trump. I love America and the American people... I am not a traitor."
The public breakdown between Trump and Greene illustrated the political risks facing Republicans who supported transparency regarding the Epstein investigation. Greene's accusation that Trump was attempting to "make an example" of her to intimidate other members before the Epstein files vote highlighted how the President was using his influence to punish dissent on the issue, even from previously loyal allies. The pattern of death threats, harassment, and violent threats following Trump's rhetoric—combined with his dismissive response to safety concerns—demonstrated what Greene characterized as "stochastic terrorism," where inflammatory public statements by political leaders can inspire third parties to commit violence without explicit direction. The incident occurred as the House prepared for a floor vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which would compel the Justice Department to release all documents from the Epstein investigation within 30 days, despite Trump administration opposition.