In a notable shift from her usual defiant stance, Republican U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene issued an apology on Sunday, acknowledging her part in the country’s divisive political climate. She expressed a desire for change and called on others, including former President Donald Trump, to join her in adopting a new approach.

The relationship between Greene, once a staunch Trump supporter, and the former president reached a breaking point last Friday. Trump publicly withdrew his endorsement of Greene on his Truth Social platform, labeling her as “Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Greene.” He further criticized her by calling her a “ranting lunatic” and a “disgrace to our great Republican party,” and he pledged to support primary challengers against her.

During an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union,” Greene responded to Trump’s harsh words, marking her first public statement since their fallout. “The most hurtful accusation he made, which is entirely false, was calling me a traitor. That’s extremely unjust,” Greene remarked. “Such language can incite people against me and put my safety at risk.”

Bash pointed out Greene’s history of employing similar rhetoric against others, noting that her concerns seemed to arise only when she herself was targeted.

“That’s a valid point,” Greene conceded. “I want to sincerely apologize for my involvement in the toxic political environment. It is detrimental to our nation.”

Greene’s past controversies are well-documented. She has been known to accuse school shooting survivors of being “paid actors,” promote QAnon conspiracy theories, and make outlandish claims about “Jewish space lasers” influencing weather patterns.

“I’m only responsible for myself and my own words and actions,” Greene told Bash. “I’ve been working on this a lot lately, to put down the knives in politics. I really want to just see people be kind to one another, and we need to figure out a new path forward that is focused on the American people.”

She added that she hoped others, and one person in particular, would follow suit.

“I’m leading the way with my own example, and I hope that President Trump can do the same,” she told Bash.

Greene’s insistence on releasing the Epstein files, her break with the President’s foreign policy approach, and her criticism of Republican senators for refusing to negotiate health care with their Democratic colleagues during the government shutdown, and other rifts apparently fueled Trump’s rage. Nonetheless, Greene said her support of the president’s stated agenda has not wavered.

“I do support him and his administration, and I support them in delivering the campaign promises we made to the American people,” Greene told Bash. “Unfortunately it has all come down to the Epstein files, and that is shocking. I stand with these women, I stand with rape victims, I stand with children who are in terrible sex abuse situations, and I stand with survivors of trafficking and those who are trapped in sex trafficking. And I will not apologize for that.”

With News Wire Services