Marjorie Taylor Greene Is No Fool

Marjorie Taylor Greene: Crazy Like a Fox? Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is a lightning rod in the Republican Party. Dubbed as the GOP’s version of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Georgia representative even has a kitschy acronym like AOC (MTG). Although, given the cognitive dissonance and ideological rabidity of AOC, I am uncertain as to why anyone would want to be viewed in the same way that AOC is. 

Alas, I digress. 

MTG is the frequent butt of many a late-night comedian’s jokes. Of course, in this day-and-age, that doesn’t mean much if you’re a Republican since the entire Pop Culture establishment is uniformly opposed to anything on the Right. 

Since assuming office in 2021, MTG has been at the epicenter of one controversy after another. Even during her campaign, she was the source of much trepidation because of the controversy she courted. 

A devout follower of former President Donald J. Trump, MTG perpetuated Trump’s 2020 stolen election claims with great elan. Once in office, MTG was a leader of the faction of “MAGA” Republicans who strove to undermine Joe Biden’s election by voting against the certification of the 2020 Presidential Election on January 6. 

Marjorie Taylor Greene, Election Denial, and January 6

That date, of course, shall live in infamy because of the riot that took place there in Trump’s name. Despite the harrowing events that awful day, once Congress was reconvened to complete their certification vote, Marjorie Taylor Greene still voted against the certification of Joe Biden’s election. Before her time in office could even begin, MTG was essentially stripped of any committee assignments and was relegated to the role of surly backbencher. 

In the notoriously clubby Congress such an outcome would be the death of someone’s political career. In a bygone era, being cleaved from the herd in such a brutal manner early in their time on the Hill would have likely eventuated in that representative losing their next election. At the very least, they’d be unable to find willing financial backers to fund their campaigns. They’d even likely have been shut off from most media access.

This did not happen for MTG. On the Right, she was revered. And MTG used her relative isolation on the Hill to build a unique brand that resonated deeply with the Republican base (and even some major donors). 

MTG Takes On Unorthodox Causes

The Georgia representative took on causes that few others would touch but that have helped to elevate her standing in public. For example, continuing with her belief that the 2020 election was stolen, MTG became a champion for the rights of those January 6 protesters who were being held by the federal government in jail—without adequate access to their God-given due process rights, as enshrined in the United States Constitution. 

Again, MTG’s stance made her unpopular with many of her colleagues (including many of her fellow elected Republicans). Similarly, Marjorie Taylor Greene is a believer in the theory (which is being proven correct each day) that COVID-19 was leaked from a Chinese biosafety level four laboratory in Wuhan. 

Because of that belief, MTG has called for rigorous investigations into the matter. She became a fierce critic of the US government’s severe response to the pandemic—notably of the former director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Dr. Anthony Fauci. Overall, MTG behaved as an effective, if not extreme, critic of President Joe Biden on everything from his perceived mishandling of the Russo-Ukraine War to the economy. 

MTG has made herself so popular with the Republican base because of her undying support for Trump that the forty-fifth president has recently admitted to the press that he’d “fight like hell” for MTG if she opted to run for the United States Senate. For the record, MTG is seriously considering such a run (just as many on the Left speculate that her counterpoint, AOC, is contemplating a run for the Senate as well). 

Marjorie Taylor Greene for President? 

And don’t rule out greater political ambitions from MTG.

Onetime Trump adviser, Stephen K. Bannon, believes that MTG wants to be Trump’s vice-presidential nominee. After all, just two years after every expert was writing her political obituary before she even began her term in Congress, MTG is not only beloved by many on the Right and handily won reelection, but she has completely rebounded from her initial isolation on the Hill. Irrespective of what happens to the GOP in 2024, we might one day be seeing a Marjorie Taylor Greene for president campaign.

Whereas other members of the Right spent the last two years heckling and hectoring Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as he prepared to lead the House GOP to victory in 2022 (with designs on becoming the next speaker of the House), MTG—an early critic of McCarthy—ingratiated herself with the California Republican. Because of her lovefest with McCarthy (and her frequent public displays of loyalty), MTG was given plum committee assignments and elevated to a trusted unofficial advisor to the new Speaker. She’s leveraged this role brilliantly as she continues ascending the ladder of power in Washington, D.C.

Don’t Underestimate Her

Whether MTG is someone we should want to climb that ladder is another matter entirely. Although not everything she has stood for has been wrong (notably her COVID origin stance). Even her defense of the January 6 rioters becomes a bit less offensive, as more evidence comes out showing that most of those who showed up on January 6 were not violent insurrectionists (though many were) and all are entitled to their basic constitutional protections. What’s more, should Donald Trump become the GOP nominee, and should he somehow win in 2024, MTG’s standing in the party will only rise more than it already has. 

MTG is crazy—like a fox. Constantly prowling, seeking advantages over larger rivals, and exploiting whatever opportunities and weaknesses she can to move ahead. Do not underestimate her. 

Brandon J. Weichert is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who serves as a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive.com. Weichert is a contributor at The Washington Times, as well as at American Greatness and the Asia Times. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower (Republic Book Publishers), Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life (May 16), and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy (July 23). Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.