Ali: Good evening.

I'm Ali Rogin, John yang is away.

Tonight, shockwaves in Washington after Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, once one of president trump's staunchest defenders, said she's resigning from congress in January before her term is up.

Greene made the surprise announcement in a video she posted on X Friday night, marking a dramatic break with president Donald Trump.

It came after a public falling out with him in recent months, as Greene criticized the president on foreign policy, health care and his stance on releasing files relating to the Jeffrey Epstein case.

>> Standing up for American women who were raped at 14 years old, trafficked and used by rich powerful men should not result in me being called a traitor and threatened by the president of the United States, whom I fought for Ali: Trump fired back on truth social today, once again calling Greene "A traitor" who "Went bad."

Tia Mitchell is the Washington bureau chief for the Atlanta journal-constitution.

She's covered Greene since her first campaign in 2021.

Thank you so much for joining me.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, up until this falling out, was one of president trump's staunchest defenders.

What do you attribute her abrupt resignation?

Tia: I think it has been building.

There has been a split in the Republican party around far right Republicans since his second administration because they felt he was not necessarily living up to his campaign promises.

Of course, Marjorie Taylor Greene started speaking out about it earlier this summer on things like Israel and the war with gaza and other foreign policy, some legislation that the white house wanted congress to pass that she felt didn't adhere to the America first Maga brand, but things really came to a head when it came to releasing the Epstein files, Marjorie Taylor Greene was one of the 4 Republicans who, along with Democrats, forced a vote on the Epstein files over trump's objections initially, and that was really what sent trump over the edge.

He split with her.

He unendorsed her, was very critical of her in personal terms, and I think Marjorie Taylor, and this happened about a week ago, and Marjorie Taylor Greene started doing some soul searching because she really came to congress to work alongside trump.

She said she was that was part of her agenda was to help him carry out his, and I think once she came to the conclusion that, you know, she couldn't work with trump, they are not on the same side, she kind of lost interest in remaining a member of congress.

Ali: President trump today told reporters that she resigned because he withdrew his support, and he said that if she had run for re-election, she would have lost.

Is that an accurate interpretation of president trump's influence over Republican candidates in this case, do you think?

Tia: Well, yes I know.

I feel that Marjorie Taylor Greene would have likely faced what Thomas Massie has faced, which means that trump would recruit people to challenge her in a primary, there would be a lot of money spent and it would be a bitter primary campaign, but like Thomas Massey, I still think Marjorie Taylor Greene would be considered the front runner and was likely to win reelection.

So the calculation from Marjorie Taylor Greene was, do I want to be, you know, have this tough reelection bid and be drug into a nasty primary battle have Donald Trump really trying to turn my constituents against me, and I could come out victorious, enter congress for another term, and then trump is going to expect me to defend him and defend his policies.

I don't want to stand up for that.

Ali: She's also cited the fact that she's been getting calls from security firms, given the amount of of vitriol that she has been on the receiving end of she is a public figure, certainly, she is no stranger to criticism, but do you think also that the rhetoric against her and the threats she may have faced could have also played a role here in this decision?

Tia: I do.

I think, again, if you listen to the video she posted, she basically said she didn't feel like the recent vitriol and threats which came because trump's criticism, that to her hurt even more because it was from again someone that wasn't just someone she considered a friend and an ally, so if he's turned on me and he's, you know, leading to all this criticism and vitriol and threats, it is not worth it to me and my family.

We know that, you know, part of her core values is being a mom, putting family first, and so I think for her she began to wonder, why am I enduring all of this?

Ali: What do you think is going to be next for her?

Tia: So, you