Former GeorgiaRep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is taking another public swipe at President Donald Trump, this time accusing his MAGA movement of becoming an "ugly grotesque cult" following a viral confrontationat a Trump rally in Ohio.
Greene, a former Republican congresswoman who once attended numerous Trump rallies and was one of his most vocal allies in Congress, made the comments Wednesday in a post on X.
Her criticism came after video from Trump's Oct. 12 rally in Youngstown, Ohio, showed a woman wearing a "Release the Epstein Files" shirt being physically confronted and struck by people in the crowd.
"Late stage MAGA is so disgusting and unrecognizable to me, and I find this shocking as one who attended more Trump rallies than I can count," Greene
wrote.
Woman attacked at Trump rally
The incident happened as Trump was speaking at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown.
Video from the rally showed a woman wearing a shirt calling for the release of the Epstein files being confronted by people around her.
One man appeared to punch her in the face and pull her by the hair before police intervened and escorted her from the venue.
The man who appeared to strike her remained inside the arena, according to video reviewed by multiple news outlets.
Trump addressed the protester from the stage and accused her of being a paid protester, though he did not provide evidence for that claim. He also confused the woman for a man.
"He's a paid protester," Trump said, according to video of the rally.
Trump also made comments about the protester's weight, saying, "Oh, he's gotta go on a diet! He's a fat guy."
The incident and Trump's comments have since spread widely online.
'The fruit is rotten'
Greene sharply criticized the response to the woman and argued that the incident represented a major change in the movement she once supported.
"A woman with a 'Release The Epstein Files' shirt stands at a Trump rally shouting at Trump to release the Epstein files and gets physically beaten by the MAGA men around her, who probably call themselves Christians,” Greene wrote.
She then turned her criticism toward Trump.
"Then our obese President makes fun of her calling her 'fat' and 'him' claiming she’s a paid protestor,” Greene wrote.
Greene said the woman was removed from the rally while the men who attacked her were allowed to remain.
"She got thrown out and the men who attacked her got to stay," she wrote.
Greene contrasted the incident with what she said she remembered from Trump's earlier rallies.
"MAGA rallies used to be filled with people who agreed with releasing the Epstein files, defended women, and would step in if a woman was attacked," she wrote.
"Now the dying remnant of MAGA is made up of people who emulate their cult leader."
Greene calls MAGA an 'ugly grotesque cult'
Greene's post became particularly pointed when she described the movement she once helped champion.
"Attacking women, making fun of their looks, and turning on the victims of the elites," Greene wrote. "It's a cult, an ugly grotesque cult that does not display Christian values because the cult leader himself is not a Christian even though the vast majority who attend his rallies would identify as Christian."
Greene then invoked a biblical teaching about judging people by the fruit their lives produce.
“The fruit is rotten,” she added.
She ended by describing Trump as "a wolf in sheep’s clothing who has led the flock astray."
Greene's feud with Trump continues
The post is the latest escalation in the increasingly public split between Greene and Trump.
Greene was once among Trump's strongest congressional allies, but their relationship deteriorated after disagreements over issues including the Epstein files and U.S. foreign policy.
In January, Greene resigned from Congress after representing Georgia's 14th Congressional District. Since leaving office, she has increasingly criticized Trump publicly.
Her latest comments come just days after another sharp exchange between the two.
On Sunday, Greene responded to an email from Trump by accusing him of breaking campaign promises and criticizing his handling of the Epstein files, the war in Iran and other issues.
She ended that message with another striking accusation against the president.
"Yes in summary, YOU are the snake that you warned us all about in the poem you read over and over," Greene wrote. "You are the deep state, the Epstein class, and America last."
She concluded with stating that it was her mistake for trusting him in the first place.
Greene's latest post shows that her break with Trump is continuing to play out publicly, with the former Georgia congresswoman now directing her criticism not only at the president but at what she describes as the current state of the MAGA movement.
Vanessa Johns is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia, covering food and entertainment. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: 'Ugly grotesque cult': MTG just took another shot at Trump
