Marjorie Taylor Greene Says Her Rejected Motion Was 'A Victory'

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks at a news conference alongside Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) at the U.S. Capitol Building on May 01, 2024 in Washington, DC. Her motion to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson failed on Wednesday

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene described her failed motion to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday as a “victory.”

“Well, that was exactly what I expected Steve, and you know, I think it was a great victory yesterday,” Greene told former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon on his War Room podcast.

“It was a great victory for the American people to see the truth, for the curtain to be drawn back and [for] them to see the ugly truth. The uniparty is alive and well in the people’s House,” she said.

The Georgia congresswoman has repeatedly blamed the motion’s failure on the “uniparty,” using a conspiratorial term frequently cited by those on the far-right to suggest the two parties are indistinguishable.

Democrats joined Republicans in a 359-43 vote to kill the motion.

Speaking after the vote, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said: “Our decision to stop Marjorie Taylor Greene from plunging the country into further chaos is rooted in our commitment to solve problems.”

Greene framed the motion’s failure as a Democratic plot while speaking to Bannon.

“The vote yesterday proved that Mike Johnson is completely bought and paid for by the Democrats,” Greene said.

“Nancy Pelosi, Jerry Nadler—the two Democrats that led the effort to impeach President Trump twice, voted to save Mike Johnson, along with Hakeem Jeffries and all of the Democrat leadership team. But so did Republicans—and that shows you right there that we have a lot of work to do in our GOP conference if we’re going to be the Republican majority.”

Greene had for weeks been threatening to trigger a vote on a motion to vacate Johnson from the speakership, following her anger over his decision to push through a foreign aid package for Ukraine.

However, her motion failed to gain significant support, even within her own party.

Former President Donald Trump, of whom Greene has been a loyal supporter, criticized the congresswoman’s attempt to oust Johnson.

“With a Majority of One, shortly growing to three or four, we’re not in a position of voting on a Motion to Vacate. At some point, we may very well be, but this is not the time,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.

“If we show DISUNITY, which will be portrayed as CHAOS, it will negatively affect everything! Mike Johnson is a good man who is trying very hard.”

The MAGA congresswoman has increasingly found herself isolated within her own party. Several Republicans reportedly booed her as she brought her motion forward on Wednesday.

“All of us in life get to decide how we handle disappointment: you can be productive or you can be destructive,” GOP South Dakota Representative Dusty Johnson said ahead of the vote. “Ms. Marjorie Taylor Greene is choosing destructive.”

Speaking to reporters after the vote, Johnson described it as a “misguided effort,” and said that he hoped this would be the end of “personality politics” and “frivolous character assassination.”

Start your unlimited Newsweek trial