Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG) is getting a lot of criticism online from her own party’s base right now because of things she said recently about deporting undocumented immigrants. Many MAGA supporters have called the 51-year-old Georgia senator a “RINO,” which stands for “Republican in Name Only,” because of what she said. Laura Loomer, a podcast producer and activist who is a close friend of President Donald Trump, is one of the most vociferous critics. She made an especially harsh assault.
What started the argument?
The controversy started when MTG appeared on The Tim Dillon Show. Greene, who called herself a “conservative,” a “businesswoman working in the construction industry,” and a “realist,” said that the way we deal with immigration and labor issues now isn’t working and has to be more complicated.
“The plan to just round up everyone and send them back home is not smart,” the Republican said. She said that this stance would probably produce “pushback,” but she insisted that from now on, she would only be “living in reality.”
These comments come at a crucial moment when the U.S. is apparently putting more effort into stopping illegal immigration and deporting people who are already here.
What “RINO” Means and Where It Came From
The word “RINO” is a well-known insult used by Republicans to cast out politicians and candidates who are seen as disloyal. USA Today has already said that President Trump made the word popular to target conventional conservative individuals who didn’t agree with his ultra-conservative MAGA program. The term is used to describe anyone who is thought to not be loyal to the party, whether they are involved in bipartisan politics or don’t agree with the hardline base.
Trump and his supporters have called well-known Republicans like Ron DeSantis, Liz Cheney, and Mitt Romney “RINOs” in the past. Now, Trump fans who are really loyal are using the same word to target MTG.
A Change of Heart and the Backlash
Marjorie Taylor Greene used to be one of Trump’s strongest supporters in Congress. This makes her sudden change in tone even more important and the backlash even stronger. This isn’t the first time she’s publicly disagreed with the MAGA base; she’s also spoken out strongly against the party on matters like the government shutdown, the release of the Epstein files, and the war in Gaza. According to NBC News, Trump’s recent calls to at least two high-ranking Republican officials to ask, “What’s going on with Marjorie?” show that her changing attitudes have worried the highest echelons of the GOP.
Laura Loomer’s statements are a good example of the harsh and fast criticism she’s getting. Loomer was quick to criticize Greene, saying that the congresswoman is “trying to rebrand as a Democrat” on purpose.
Loomer said, “Don’t be surprised if she runs for president as a Democrat in 2028.” “She wants to change her image and get the left to give her a chance by getting the most anti-Trump, left-leaning people to work with her.” She wants to get back at President Trump because he didn’t support her campaigns for the Senate and governor in Georgia.
Loomer also said that MTG “wants to destroy MAGA because she isn’t the leader of MAGA.” Loomer kept going after Greene, bringing back an old post to say that she had been attempting to warn people about MTG’s actual nature for years. MTG herself said in 2024 that Loomer’s words were a “huge problem” that did not “represent MAGA.” The two women had a long history of fighting.
Many other MAGA supporters expressed the same thing on social media, with one person saying, “MTG has now come out and said she does NOT think every illegal should be deported.” She believes that people who are in the country illegally and take jobs from Americans should be able to stay. She is NOT for America First. She doesn’t support MAGA. Get up and stop backing this RINO. Another person said they were disappointed and added, “I really liked MTG, but she has changed her mind too many times, and now I think of her as more of a RINO than a MAGA.” “Her loss.”