WASHINGTON — Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene came to Congress in 2021 as a MAGA luminary and staunch Donald Trump loyalist.

She is resigning Monday — a year before her term ends — deeply disillusioned with a president she once revered.

“I have too much self respect and dignity, love my family way too much, and do not want my sweet district to endure a hurtful and hateful primary against me by the President we all fought for,” the departing congresswoman said in a November statement announcing her resignation. “And in turn, be expected to defend the President against impeachment after he hatefully dumped tens of millions of dollars against me and tried to destroy me.”

In her resignation letter to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Greene said it had been her “honor and privilege to serve the people” of the 14th District in the state’s northwest corner. She was first elected to her seat in 2020 and was among Trump’s fiercest defenders for most of her time in Congress.

But earlier this year, she publicly broke with the president over a number of issues, including the release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The pair also split over the direction of Trump’s “America First” agenda, the expiration of health care subsidies, the war in Gaza and cryptocurrency policy.

Trump went on to slam Greene as a “traitor,” saying her “new views” were those of a “very dumb person.” Greene said such remarks led to death threats against her family “directly fueled by President Trump.”

In the latest escalation, Greene took to social media to blast the administration’s actions in Venezuela over the weekend, characterizing the military move as a betrayal of Trump’s campaign pledge to focus on American economic populism.

But Greene’s disenchantment with the president transcends policy disagreements. The woman who built a national reputation deploying fiery rhetoric against her opponents is now lamenting the incendiary political climate.

In an interview with The New York Times Magazine published last week, Greene cited Trump’s reaction to the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a key turning point. After Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, told the crowd at his memorial service that she forgave her husband’s killer, Trump took a decidedly different tone. “I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them,” the president said at the event.

“After Charlie died, I realized that I’m part of this toxic culture,’’ Greene told the Times magazine. “I really started looking at my faith. I wanted to be more like Christ.”

Greene has said she’d been largely apolitical until 2016, when Trump’s approach to politics and his direct way of speaking caught her attention.

She quickly established herself as a MAGA star, speaking out against gun safety measures and embracing an isolationist approach to foreign policy. She had previously promoted QAnon, a wide-ranging conspiracy theory that alleges a “deep state” plot against Trump, but later sought to distance herself from the fringe movement.

Greene had previously tangled with House Republican leadership. In 2024, she threatened to bring down Speaker Mike Johnson over a litany of complaints, including a military aid package for Ukraine. A year earlier, she’d been ousted from the hard-line conservative Freedom Caucus amid reports of disputes with certain members.

Greene’s willingness to buck her party’s most powerful figure drew her praise from Trump’s critics on the left. But she has noted that she voted with Trump 98% of the time, and, even as she leaves Congress, she isn’t walking away from her conservative views.

One of her final acts as a member of the House was shepherding through a bill that would ban gender transition treatment for minors. The measure, which passed the House in mid-December largely along party lines, would punish health care providers who provide puberty blockers, hormones or surgery to anyone under 18.

Greene on social media called the legislation, which is unlikely to advance in the Senate, “a win for children all over America!!”

Greene is leaving behind a solidly Republican district that backed Trump by 37 points in 2024, according to calculations by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales. Under Georgia law, GOP Gov. Kemp has 10 days to announce a date for the special election to fill the remainder of her term.

A crowded field of Republicans has emerged in the race to succeed Greene. Hopefuls include state Sen. Colton Moore, local prosecutor Clay Fuller, former Greene staffer Jim Tully, former Paulding County Commissioner Brian Stover and former Federal Emergency Management Agency official Star Black.

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