Journalism of Courage
US President Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s claim that his recent attacks had triggered threats against her. “I don’t think her life is in danger… I don’t think anybody cares about her,” Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One for Washington, according to Reuters.
He again referred to her as “Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Greene,” repeating an insult that Greene said had been the “most hurtful” part of his remarks.
Greene said on Saturday that Trump’s online criticism had unleashed a surge of threats, adding that she had been contacted by private security firms warning her about safety concerns.
The fallout marks a rupture between two figures once seen as political allies. Greene, a Georgia Republican known for her staunch support of Trump in the past, said the rift stems from her push to release federal records related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump has dismissed the controversy around Epstein as a Democratic “hoax”. Greene, however, was one of only four House Republicans who joined Democrats last week in signing a petition to force a vote on releasing the full Justice Department files, Reuters reported.
The feud intensified on Friday when Trump posted a blistering message on social media calling Greene “Wacky” and a “ranting lunatic” who complained that he would not take her calls. Over the weekend, he continued to berate her online, labelling the congresswoman a “Lightweight”, “Traitor” and a “disgrace” to the Republican Party. Trump also suggested that voters in her district should consider a primary challenger and said he would support “the right candidate”.
But despite the deepening row, Trump wrote on Sunday night that House Republicans “should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide…”
During an interview with CNN‘s State of the Union on Sunday, Greene said she still supports President Trump but added that she doesn’t support the Trump administration’s efforts to keep the Epstein files under the wraps. She said attacks by the US president are propagating toxic in-fighting in politics, while putting her safety at risk.
“He called me a traitor, and that is so extremely wrong, and those are the types of words used that can radicalize people against me and put my life in danger,” Greene told CNN. “I would like to say, humbly, I’m sorry for taking part in the toxic politics; it’s very bad for our country. It’s been something I’ve thought about a lot, especially since Charlie Kirk was assassinated.”
(With inputs from agencies)
