Kristen Welker (00:03):
Welcome back. And joining me now is Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. Congresswoman, welcome to Meet the Press.
Marjorie Taylor Greene (00:13):
Thanks for having me this morning.
Kristen Welker (00:15):
Thank you so much for being here. We really appreciate it. Tomorrow is your last day in Congress, so incredibly significant to have you here today, Congresswoman. You and President Trump, of course, had an extraordinary break last year. We'll talk all about that in just a moment. But I do want to talk about something you said this weekend in the wake of this attack against Venezuela removing Nicolás Maduro. You said that the administration's actions were not America first. Now, the president was asked about this idea yesterday. I want to play that clip and get your reaction on the other side. Take a look.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Mr. President, why is running a country in South America America first?
Donald Trump (00:54):
Well, I think it is because we want to surround ourself with good neighbors. We want to surround ourself with stability. We want to surround ourself with energy. We have tremendous energy in that country. It's very important that we protect it. We need that for ourselves. We need that for the world.
Kristen Welker (01:10):
Why do you disagree, Congresswoman?
Marjorie Taylor Greene (01:14):
Well, I served on the Homeland Security Committee for three years, and I am overwhelmingly in support of a strong border. I impeached Secretary Mayorkas. Those were my articles of impeachment that passed the House because fentanyl overdoses skyrocketed to 280% in my own district. And the majority of American fentanyl overdoses and deaths come from Mexico. Those are the Mexican cartels that are killing Americans. And so my pushback here is if this was really about narco terrorists and about protecting Americans from cartels and drugs being brought into America, the Trump administration would be attacking the Mexican cartels.
(01:57)
Now, I am not defending Maduro, and of course I'm happy for the people of Venezuela to be liberated, but Americans celebrated the liberation of the Iraqi people after Saddam Hussein. They celebrated the liberation of the Libyan people after Gaddafi. And this is the same Washington playbook that we are so sick and tired of that doesn't serve the American people, but actually serves the big corporations, the banks and the oil executives.
(02:26)
And so my pushback here is on the Trump administration that campaigned on Make America Great Again that we thought was putting America first, I want to see domestic policy be the priority that helps Americans afford life after four disastrous years of the Biden administration. I want to see domestic policies that prioritizes jobs and affordable housing for Americans after four disastrous years of the Biden administration. And I want to see domestic priorities that put Americans first in regards of healthcare. Health insurance costs too much, car insurance, home insurance. And these are issues that matter to Americans. We don't consider Venezuela our neighborhood. Our neighborhood is right here in the 50 united states, not in the Southern Hemisphere.
Kristen Welker (03:16):
Well, let me ask you, because President Trump says he gets to decide what America first means. Does America first mean whatever President Trump says it does?
Marjorie Taylor Greene (03:28):
America first should mean what was promised on the campaign trail in 2024. My understanding of America first is strictly for the American people, not for the big donors that donate to big politicians, not for the special interests that constantly roam the halls in Washington, and not foreign countries that demand their priorities put first over Americans. America first actually means for the American people. And the American people have been put last consistently decades and decades by both political parties for far too long.
(04:05)
My kids' generation, my kids are 22, 26, and 28, are looking at a future where this whole entire generation doesn't think they'll ever see a social security check. They don't believe they'll ever be able to afford to own their own home. And 50-year mortgages are really a slap in the face. It's insulting. Americans don't want $2,000 stimulus checks as a payoff, they want to have good policies brought forth for them because you want to know something, Kristen? They voted for this administration, and their small dollar donations should matter.
Kristen Welker (04:40):
Let-
Marjorie Taylor Greene (04:40):
And MAGA has its own enemy list, and the enemies of the worlds are not on their enemy list, and they're tired of being ignored.
Kristen Welker (04:47):
Let me ask you about your breakup with President Trump. Part of that was over this battle over releasing the Epstein files in September. After a meeting with a group of Epstein's survivors, you'd held a news conference and threatened to identify some of the men who had abused them. The New York Times magazine reported that President Trump called you in your office afterwards and, quote, "According to a staff member, everyone in the suite of rooms could hear him yelling at her as she listened to him on speakerphone. Greene says she expressed her perplexity over his intransigence. According to Greene, Trump replied, 'My friends will get hurt.'" What do you think President Trump meant by, "My friends will get hurt," Congresswoman?
Marjorie Taylor Greene (05:34):
I've been asking that question ever since. And I make no apologies for standing with women and victims of rape because in this country there are far too many victims of rape. All walks of men and women alike have been victims of rape or some type of child abuse. And the Epstein Files is significant, and demanding transparency for that should not lead to the president who I helped get elected and supported far more than pretty much any Republican in Washington. It should not have led to him calling me a traitor. That is absolutely unacceptable, and the American people reject it.
(06:17)
But here's what should be prioritized is victims and victims of an entire system that protected the rich, powerful elites. And that's what Americans are absolutely sick and tired of. That was part of what they voted for in 2024. They voted to tear down the system that protects the rich, powerful elites. They voted to tear down the system that consistently goes for foreign wars and regime change. They voted to tear down the system that does nothing for regular hardworking Americans and only consistently props up the big banks, the military industrial complex, and the oil executives, and major, major industries. And you want to know something? After this regime change in Venezuela, I fear that we're going to see jobs just move south because we're already hearing about big corporations lining up their trips to Venezuela for the next big business opportunity that exists while Americans sit here with no options that are going to provide them with good paying jobs and affordable healthcare.
Kristen Welker (07:23):
Congresswoman, let me finally ask you about one of the rifts and concerns in the Republican Party over the issue of antisemitism. In 2022, you did speak at a conference organized by Nick Fuentes. He's a white nationalist. He recently said that Hitler is quote, "Cool." Let me ask you about your perspective right now. Do you believe there is room in the Republican Party for Nick Fuentes and anyone who shares that ideology that Hitler is cool?
Marjorie Taylor Greene (07:56):
Here's my situation and here's my belief on people's speech. I will always defend the First Amendment in free speech no matter what kind of speech it is, even speech that I find abhorrent or I disagree with because I think that it makes us uniquely American. What concerns me is that when we move towards censorship… And we saw that happen during COVID. I, myself, had my own Twitter account permanently banned because I spoke out against FDA rushed approval of the COVID vaccines and I spoke out against lockdowns and forced masking. And when I look at people saying that certain types of speech needs to be censored, and we have been hearing that lately, that raises great concern for me. I think it's something that we have to take seriously is, as Americans, we don't have to agree with each other, and we certainly can disagree, but we should overwhelmingly agree that free speech must be protected.
Kristen Welker (08:59):
During COVID, you did compare lockdowns to the Holocaust. I understand your point about free speech, but let me press you there because Nick Fuentes has said on his podcast, quote, "Hitler was awesome. Hitler was-"
Marjorie Taylor Greene (09:08):
No, that's a misquote. Kristen, that's a misquote. That's a misquote.
Kristen Welker (09:11):
All right.
Marjorie Taylor Greene (09:12):
That's not correct. I compared vaccine cards, being forced to take a vaccine in order to be able to keep a job or buy or sell or be able to be admitted to restaurants, I compared that. The Holocaust was horrible. I'm not comparing anything to that.
Kristen Welker (09:32):
Let me just ask you, though, because Nick Fuentes has said on his podcast, "Hitler was awesome. Hitler was right. The Holocaust didn't happen." He also participated in the Charlottesville rally where demonstrators chanted, "Jews will not replace us." Senator Ted Cruz says, "This is a time for choosing." He says, "If you're embracing someone who says, 'Hitler is cool,' you are complicit in that evil." Do you think Ted Cruz has a point, that you'd be complicit in that evil to support or in any way fail to denounce what Nick Fuentes has said?
Marjorie Taylor Greene (10:08):
Kristen, I don't know Nick Fuentes. I don't even have his phone number. He doesn't have my phone number. I spoke at a conference of his because it was largely attended by young Americans, and I care about that generation. And I went there to talk directly to them. I really am not familiar with what Nick Fuentes says, whether it's on social media or his podcast, nor do I pay that much attention to Ted Cruz. He routinely attacks me. The things that I focus on is the needs of the American people. And I'm not going to get-
Kristen Welker (10:40):
But should he be embraced in the Republican Party, Congressman?
Marjorie Taylor Greene (10:42):
I'm-
Kristen Welker (10:42):
Is there room for him in the Republican Party?
Marjorie Taylor Greene (10:48):
Kristen, I don't think that this is about the Republican Party, and it's not about Nick Fuentes. I see this about free speech, and I'm going to sit here and tell you over and over again I defend the First Amendment. I will defend free speech. Whether I like the speech, agree with the speech, disagree with the speech, hate the speech, I'm going to defend it because I can point to many other people in the Democrat Party that I completely don't like their speech, I can point to members of the press that have written horrific stories that I think are lies, and I can say, "I don't like that speech." But I still defend free speech and I still defend the press having rights to publish stories because I think that's how you hold the government accountable. And I want a press that tells the truth to the American people, not slants it or paints it one way, but strictly publishes the truth. And that's what Americans really want. I'm not going to engage in weighing in on who deserves to be where, I'm going to strictly tell you I will defend free speech at all costs.
Kristen Welker (11:55):
All right, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, again, thank you for joining us right before your last day in Congress. We'll track your political future or any future very closely. Really appreciate it.
Marjorie Taylor Greene (12:05):
Yes.
Tom Llamas (12:06):
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