President Donald Trump on Monday delivered a rare public rebuke to one of his most fervent supporters, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), stating she had “lost her way” over her recent criticism of the administration’s robust focus on foreign policy.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, President Trump directly addressed the controversy that flared up after Greene chastised the White House for prioritizing international meetings—specifically citing a bilateral meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa—over pressing domestic issues.
“Lost Her Way”
“I don’t know what happened to Marjorie. She’s a nice woman, but I don’t know what happened. She’s lost her way, I think,” Trump said, confirming a growing rift between the two prominent MAGA figures.
The President defended his international focus as an essential duty of the presidency. “But I have to view the presidency as a worldwide situation, not locally. I mean, we could have a world that’s on fire, where wars come to our shores very easily, if you had a bad president,” he added.
When later asked about the President’s comments, Greene issued a sharp statement, insisting on her core principles: “I haven’t lost my way. I’m 100% America first and only!”
Greene’s Criticism and Domestic Focus
Greene’s criticism on social media Monday followed news of the meeting with the Syrian President, which was expected to focus on a U.S.-led coalition to defeat the Islamic State militant group.
“The new leader of Syria is a former Al Qaeda terrorist wanted by our government who is meeting with President Trump today at the White House on the U.S. Marine’s 250th anniversary,” Greene said. “He rose to power in Dec 2024, sanctions were lifted off Syria in June, and many Christians and minority groups have been killed before and after sanctions were lifted.”
“I pray the persecution ends, not only in Syria, but all around the world,” Greene wrote on X. “However, I would really like to see nonstop meetings at the WH on domestic policy not foreign policy and foreign country’s leaders.”
The congresswoman’s focus on domestic concerns extends beyond foreign travel. She has also publicly called the ongoing government shutdown “an embarrassment” and spoke of the economic struggles facing her constituents, despite giving the President “some credit” on inflation.
Trump’s Defense: Global Economy and Geopolitical Risk
President Trump, who has visited 14 countries in his second term compared to 15 U.S. states in the same period, doubled down on the necessity of his global engagement, noting he was “surprised at her” criticism and suggesting Greene was “now catering to the other side.”
He argued that the world’s economy and stability are inextricably linked to U.S. prosperity. “You know, it’s easy to say, ‘Oh, don’t worry about the world,’ but the world is turning out to be our biggest customer,” Trump said. “The world was on fire, and we could have been in that fire very easily.”
The President has often welcomed the international attention and highlighted the economic concessions he has secured from trading partners during his travels, including renewed soybean purchases from China and a significant investment pledge from South Korea.
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