ALI ROGIN: Good evening.

I'm Ali Rogin.

John Yang is away.

Tonight shock waves 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.

REP.

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R) Georgia: 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 ROGIN: 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.

Thank you so much for joining me.

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

To what do you attribute her abrupt resignation?

TIA MITCHELL, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Well, I think it's been building.

There has been a split in the Republican Party, particularly among MAGA far-right Republican White House bid his second administration because they felt that he wasn't necessarily living up to some of 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 four Republicans who, along with Democrats, forced to 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 un endorsed her, was very critical of her in personal terms.

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're not on the same side, she kind of lost interest in remaining a member of Congress.

ALI ROGIN: President Trump today told reporters that she resigned because he withdrew his support.

And he said that if she had run for reelection, she would have lost.

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

TIA MITCHELL: Well, yes and no.

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 Massie, 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 have this tough reelection bid and be drag in to 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 ROGIN: She's also cited the fact that she's been getting calls from security firms.

Given the amount of vitriol that she has been on the receiving end of, she's a public figure.

Certainly she's no stranger to criticism.

But do you think also the rhetoric against her and the threats she may have faced could have also played a role here in this decision?

TIA MITCHELL: 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.

And he's, you know, leading to all this criticism and vitriol and threats, it's not worth it to me.

In my family, we know that 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 ROGIN: What do you think is going to be next for her?

TIA MITCHELL: So, you know, there's a lot of speculation.

She previously ruled out running for Senate or governor in Georgia in 2026.

There's speculation that she might run for president in 2028.

But as I talk to people close to her, I get the sense that, at least in the short term, her thinking is she really wants to fade back into being kind of a regular citizen.

Now, could that change with time?

I think that's a possibility, that maybe if she gives herself a few months to go, you know, into private life, regroup, see what types offers come her way, you know, there's a lot of speculation because she, you know, she has a massive platform on social media.

She has a massive platform, you know, she's recognized now with her speaking out in favor of the healthcare issues and lowering healthcare costs during the government shutdown, even more of a platform.

So I think there are opportunities that could be awaiting her.

ALI ROGIN: Tia Mitchell with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, thank you so much.

TIA MITCHELL: Thank you.