MTG encouraging supporters to go "scorched earth"
After rumors emerged that the one-term former president Donald Trump is likely to be arrested on March 21, his most ardent supporters - including Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor-Greene - took up the call to action. MTG initially reacted with outrage, claiming that Trump had "always fought for the American people".
On March 18 she doubled-down, appearing to incite protests and civil unrest after encouraging "every single Republican (to) go scorched earth" if Trump was eventually detained. On March 20, she appeared to spot a fundraising opportunity and has since encouraged her supporters on Twitter to get themselves dressed in the appropriate attire - MTG branded T-shirts and hats emblazoned with the slogan 'Enemy of the State' - so that they are properly attired when they go "scorched-earth" on America.
Is this the sort of behaviour that citizens of Georgia were hoping for when they elected Taylor-Greene for another term in office?
Trump calls for protests
With Trump himself calling for protests and civil-unrest if he were to be arrested, other politicians are reacting to the news.
Trump's former Vice President - Mike Pence - has suggested that the forthcoming arrest is "politically charged" but called for peaceful responses to the arrest if it happens. Meanwhile Trump himself has suggested (on his social media platform - Truth Social) that his supporters should "take America back" if he is detained.
Taken at face-value, comments from Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor-Greene, suggesting that Americans should go "scorched-earth" if the arrest occurs, seem to encourage a level of civil disobedience of the likes witnessed during the January 6 insurrection.
MTG more focused on Trump than on Georgia?
As the rumored running mate for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election (assuming that he's still free to run), Taylor-Greene has consistently acted in support of Trump, championing his policies and sharing her enthusiasm for him.
Earlier this year, she called for the defunding of the Special Counsel that was investigating Trump for his alleged involvement in the January 6 Insurrection. On that occasion, her call for defunding was clearly unsuccessful.
The fact that Donald Trump is now at risk of arrest may be something that MTG fears is going to ultimately lead to her own case being pursued too. When called to appear before the J6 committee, she was famously unco-operative and refused to answer questions, claiming to be unable to recall things she'd done or said.
"We would have been armed"
While she may have been reticent to answer questions before the committee, MTG has since been far more vocal about the insurrection and how she feels it could have gone.
Speaking to an audience at the New York Young Republican Club in December 2022, MTG addressed the J6 insurrection. Her sentiments came across clearly, and far from condemning the action of rioters, she was vocal about how it would have unfolded under her leadership:
"...if Steve Bannon and I had organized that, we would have won. Not to mention, we would’ve been armed.”
Perhaps it's this kind of aggressive rhetoric that has led to MTG's suggestions of "scorched-earth" reactions being taken seriously.
Do you feel that Marjorie Taylor-Greene is representing the people of Georgia in the way she acts, or is she more concerned with furthering her own political career? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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