In a surprising turn of events, President Donald Trump has distanced himself from Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a prominent supporter within the MAGA movement. Trump labeled her as “‘Wacky’ Marjorie” and expressed his willingness to back a rival candidate against her in the upcoming midterm elections, provided the “right person” enters the race.

Greene, once a symbol of the “Make America Great Again” campaign, known for her iconic red hat at President Joe Biden’s 2024 State of the Union address, has found herself at odds with Trump. Her role as a liaison between Trump and other Republicans on Capitol Hill now seems to be a thing of the past. This rift has been developing over recent months, with Greene softening her once hardline stance. She has been openly critical of Republican leaders, particularly during the recent conclusion of the federal government shutdown, urging them to devise solutions for those losing health insurance subsidies.

Trump accused Greene of veering “Far Left” and criticized her for incessant complaining, noting, “all I’ve seen from her is ‘COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN!’” He also mentioned her frustration over his unreturned calls, stating, “I can’t take a ranting Lunatic’s call every day.”

In her defense, Greene took to social media platform X, claiming Trump had “attacked me and lied about me.” She included a screenshot of a text she allegedly sent to Trump regarding the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which she believes triggered his anger.

Greene expressed her surprise at Trump’s intense efforts to prevent the Epstein files from being disclosed, remarking on the upcoming U.S. House vote concerning their release. She found it “astonishing” that he would go to such lengths.

Recounting her loyalty, Greene stated she had dedicated “too much of my precious time, too much of my own money, and fought harder for him even when almost all other Republicans turned their back and denounced him,” but made it clear, “I don’t worship or serve Donald Trump.”

Trump’s post seemingly tied a bow of finality to fissures that widened following this month’s off-cycle elections, in which voters in the New Jersey and Virginia governor races flocked to Democrats in large part over concerns about the cost of living.

Last week, Greene told NBC News that “watching the foreign leaders come to the White House through a revolving door is not helping Americans,” saying that Trump needs to focus on high prices at home rather than his recent emphasis on foreign affairs. Trump responded by saying that Greene had “lost her way.”

Asked about Greene’s comments earlier Friday as he flew from Washington to Florida, Trump reiterated that he felt “something happened to her over the last month or two,” saying that, if he hadn’t gone to China to meet leader Xi Jinping, there would have been negative ramifications for jobs in Georgia and elsewhere because China would have kept its curbs on magnet exports.

Saying that people have been calling him, wanting to challenge Greene, Trump added, “She’s lost a wonderful conservative reputation.”

Greene’s discontent dates back at least to May, when she announced she wouldn’t run for the Senate against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff, while attacking GOP donors and consultants who feared she couldn’t win. In June, she publicly sided with Tucker Carlson after Trump called the commentator “kooky” in a schism that emerged between MAGA and national security hardliners over possible U.S. efforts at regime change in Iran.

That only intensified in July, when Greene said she wouldn’t run for governor. Then, she attacked a political “good ole boy” system, alleging it was endangering Republican control of the state. Greene embarked on a charm offensive in recent weeks, with interviews and appearances in media aimed at people who aren’t hardcore Trump supporters. Asked on comedian Tim Dillon’s podcast if she wanted to run for president in 2028, Greene said in October, “I hate politics so much” and just wanted “to fix problems” — but didn’t give a definitive answer.

That climaxed with an appearance on Bill Maher’s HBO show “Real Time,” followed days later by a Nov. 4 appearance on ABC’s “The View.” Some observers began pronouncing Greene as reasonable as she trashed Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana for not calling Republicans back to Washington and coming up with a health care plan.

“I feel like I’m sitting next to a completely different Marjorie Taylor Greene,” said “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin.

“Maybe you should become a Democrat, Marjorie,” said co-host Joy Behar.

“I’m not a Democrat,” Greene replied. “I think both parties have failed.”

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Jeff Amy contributed reporting from Atlanta. Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP