Politics
Trump May Have Pushed Marjorie Taylor Greene to Exit Senate Race: Report
By Jake Beardslee · May 17, 2025
Trump Reportedly Warns Greene Against Senate Run
President Donald Trump reportedly discouraged Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from launching a Senate campaign in Georgia, citing internal polling that showed she would lose badly to Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff. According to sources who spoke to The Wall Street Journal, Trump shared data from his longtime pollster Tony Fabrizio that indicated Greene would trail Ossoff by a daunting 18 points in a hypothetical matchup. Jack Gruber-USA TODAY
Greene Decides Against Senate Run Despite Ossoff’s Vulnerability
The private conversation appears to have played a decisive role in Greene’s decision not to run, despite Ossoff being considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats heading into the 2026 midterms. Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Trump Team Focuses on Senate Strategy
Trump and his allies in the White House are reportedly working aggressively to maintain the Republican Party’s slim Senate majority and avoid nominating candidates who may falter in a general election. The White House / Wikimedia
Greene Denies Speaking With Trump
Greene disputed the report in a post on X, writing, “I have never spoken with President Trump about running for Senate or any other race. But for some reason, some consultants and aides are leaking to the usual tools in the media in order to promote the narrative they want to tell about me.” Alex Gould/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
Greene Slams Report, Says She Campaigned for Trump ‘for FREE’
She continued, “I have always supported President Trump for FREE and actually spent hundreds of thousands of dollars campaigning with him all across the country!! You would think these people would be embracing me because I’ve fought the hardest for him, but the problem is they are not on my payroll.”“Most people don’t read the WSJ,” Greene added. Jack Gruber-USA TODAY
Kemp and Greene Both Decline to Run
Greene officially ruled out a Senate bid on May 9, just days after Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who is considered a stronger contender by GOP leadership, also announced he would not run. Other potential Republican challengers include Reps. Buddy Carter, Mike Collins, and Rich McCormick. Katie Goodale / USA TODAY NETWORK
Greene Slams Senate, GOP Establishment
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Greene criticized the Republican establishment, claiming, “I want nothing to do with the Senate because it’s completely under uniparty control and not for the American people.” She also took a swipe at at pollster Tony Fabrizio, stating, “To my knowledge, a lot of this was private conversation, and apparently is being leaked. The poll was done by Tony Fabrizio, who has refused to work for me because he says he has a conflict, which means he’s working for someone against me.” MCKENZIE LANGE/ Staff / USA TODAY NETWORK