Marjorie Taylor Greene Embodies the Inanity of Populism

David Harsanyi
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 14:35:00 -0800
Opinion

During a recent stop on her image rehab tour, Marjorie Taylor Greene told CNN's Dana Bash that she is sorry "for taking part in the toxic politics." It has been, she added, "bad for the country." A week later, Greene finally did something patriotic by announcing her retirement.

It's fair to say Greene is one of the most well-known GOP House members in the nation. Greene, though, is famous because her nitwittery has been endlessly highlighted by the media and Democrats to cast the Republican Party as one of hayseeds and conspiracists.

And, in all fairness, Greene might be one of the biggest ignoramuses to ever serve in Congress, which is no small achievement when one considers the "Squad" exists. If I asked you to name a single piece of legislation Greene has sponsored, you would probably be at a loss. If I asked you to name an important policy she has championed, an uplifting speech she has delivered or an area of expertise she has mastered, you would not think of any because there have been none.
Updated: Fri Nov 28, 2025

During a recent stop on her image rehab tour, Marjorie Taylor Greene told CNN's Dana Bash that she is sorry "for taking part in the toxic politics." It has been, she added, "bad for the country." A week later, Greene finally did something patriotic by announcing her retirement.

It's fair to say Greene is one of the most well-known GOP House members in the nation. Greene, though, is famous because her nitwittery has been endlessly highlighted by the media and Democrats to cast the Republican Party as one of hayseeds and conspiracists.

And, in all fairness, Greene might be one of the biggest ignoramuses to ever serve in Congress, which is no small achievement when one considers the "Squad" exists. If I asked you to name a single piece of legislation Greene has sponsored, you would probably be at a loss. If I asked you to name an important policy she has championed, an uplifting speech she has delivered or an area of expertise she has mastered, you would not think of any because there have been none.

Once the president reportedly dissuaded her from running for higher office in Georgia, Greene's loyalty dissipated. Scorned, she became rudderless and useless. There is nothing left for her, because there was not much there to begin with.

Donald Trump has contended that Greene went "BAD" and became a "ranting lunatic." This is wrong. She has always been a ranting lunatic and an early adopter of the unhinged conspiratorial notions that have now infected so much of the populist Right.

"I was a victim, just like you were, of media lies and stuff you read on social media," Greene appealed to the women on "The View" when confronted with her past. It's undeniable that the (well-earned) collapse of trust in both media and experts has created a vacuum that's now filled by a horde of hucksters.

Victims such as Greene are easy marks for online con artists and propagandists because they lack a substantive belief system, organizing principles, coherent worldviews or historical perspective to repel conspiracies. Asking questions can be an admirable quality of an inquisitive mind. Asking questions such as "Are space-based solar lasers built by the Rothschilds starting California wildfires?" makes you a paranoid dolt.

Greene, of course, was in on the Pizzagate and QAnon stuff from the beginning. She suggested that the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas may have been staged by gun control activists and questioned whether the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was a "massive false flag." You would be hard-pressed to find a conspiracy on the "Right" that she did not entertain.

Let us also not forget that Greene was one of the first — and only — elected officials to cozy up to the Groypers who are being normalized by the online NatCon Right. Greene spoke at a 2022 white nationalist junior varsity jamboree in Florida held by Tucker Carlson's friend Nick Fuentes, who believes that Jews are "race traitors," denies the Holocaust happened and believes segregation was beneficial for black Americans.

At the time, Greene pleaded ignorance of these positions, contending she was merely there to "talk to an audience" of young people. She never once confronted attendees to rethink their identitarian views, as she basked in their applause. Greene is either mind-bogglingly gullible or an ally. With her, both options are wholly plausible.

Let us be charitable and concede it's the former. Greene is no less credulous these days as she tries to appeal to the Left. She broke with Trump by falling for the Democrats' scaremongering over Obamacare subsidies during the government shutdown. She bought the Gaza "genocide" hoax just like she bought into Pizzagate. A big proponent of releasing the Epstein "files," Greene will almost surely take a dive down every rabbit hole that emerges.

I'm often told that it's "elitist" to mock these champions of average Americans. We need more "normal" people in Congress, they say. Absolutely. We have too many lawyers and professional activists running in Washington and far too few successful Americans who comprehend the real-world concerns of a diverse population.

To say Greene is a normal American, however, is to contend that a normal American is an imbecile, which is not true. Indeed, there are millions of "average" Americans who are curious, smart, idealistic, capable and problem solvers. The representative of Georgia's 14th Congressional District possesses none of those attributes.

Greene's resignation from Congress will take effect on Jan. 6, 2026, exactly in time for a lifelong pension to kick in. Greene was unable to fulfill a two-year commitment to her constituents because her feelings were hurt. Despite enabling her twice, they should consider themselves lucky. We have always had embarrassingly low standards for electing officials. But they are not often this low.

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of five books — the most recent, "The Rise of Blue Anon," available now. His work has appeared in National Review, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Reason, New York Post and numerous other publications. Follow him on X @davidharsanyi.