Marjorie Taylor Greene Is Losing 'Sway' With Donald Trump: GOP Strategist

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is losing her "sway" with Donald Trump amid her latest fight against House Speaker Mike Johnson, according to a Republican strategist.

Greene, a Georgia Republican, has threatened to call a vote on her motion to vacate the speaker's position. She announced the motion in March after Johnson worked with Democrats to pass a bill to fund the government, and she has grown increasingly critical of him after he oversaw House passage of a bipartisan bill to secure foreign aid for Ukraine and Israel, which are engaged in wars against Russia and Hamas, respectively.

In April, Greene said she would call a vote on the motion this week and has laid out several demands for Johnson, including "defunding" the special counsel's investigations of Trump. She said on Tuesday that "the ball is in Mike Johnson's court" after meeting with him this week, but that the timeline to avoid the motion is "pretty short."

Susan Del Percio, a GOP strategist who has been critical of the former president and his influence over the Republican Party, wrote an opinion article published by MSNBC Wednesday morning that said Trump does not appear to be supportive of Greene's efforts to oust Johnson.

Trump "simply doesn't seem interested in backing her chaotic play," Del Percio wrote.

She went on: "Greene has also known for weeks that Trump himself has little appetite for this fight. Just a few weeks ago, after Greene first said she would attempt to remove Johnson, the speaker traveled down to Mar-a-Lago for a photo op with Trump. 'I stand with the speaker,' Trump stated, while also noting that Greene was 'a very good friend.'"

Del Percio continued, "They may still be friends, but she no longer has much sway over Trump—if she ever had any."

The timing of the speakership battle would be "just not good for Trump," she wrote. Her latest fight against Johnson comes as the presidential race ramps up, and Trump is seeking to both energize his base and win over independent voters who did not support him in 2020, when he lost to President Joe Biden.

Newsweek reached out to Greene's office for comment via email.

Joshua Sandman, a professor emeritus at the University of New Haven, told Newsweek on Wednesday that Trump is not supporting the motion to vacate because he is "pragmatic and realizes that the ensuing political chaos will hurt the Republican Party in its bid to keep the House majority and retake the White House."

Sandman continued: "Factional struggles, chaos and disarray are not helpful for the Republican brand. It presents them in a negative light and can seriously damage their election prospects. Moderate voters are put off by this aberrant behavior."

Trump discussed Greene's motion to vacate in remarks to reporters after meeting with Johnson in April.

"It's not an easy situation for any speaker. I think he's doing a very good job. He's doing about as good as you're going to do," Trump said. "I'm sure that Marjorie understands that. She's a very good friend of mine, and I know she has a lot of respect for the speaker."

Greene has found herself facing growing criticism from fellow Republicans in recent days over the speakership battle. Representative Bob Good, a Virginia Republican who chairs the House Freedom Caucus, criticized her move during an interview on NewsNation's The Hill Sunday.

"She's pretty much operating on her own with one or two others who have expressed support for what she's doing. She doesn't lead anyone," he told host Chris Stirewalt. "She's not acting in the best interests of President Trump."

Representative Andy Ogles, a Tennessee Republican, told CNN last week that he believes the motion to vacate is a "distraction" and "mistake."

Update 5/8/24, 3:10 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comments from Joshua Sandman, a professor emeritus at the University of New Haven.