Vernellia R. Randall, Still Racist: Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Resignation Is Not a Transformation, Racism.org (Dec. 1, 2025).
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s announcement that she will resign from Congress in January has triggered a wave of speculation about whether she is softening, changing, or stepping away from the extremist politics she helped build. But no one working in racial justice should mistake her exit for anything other than what it is: a political reaction to pressure inside the MAGA movement, not a moral reckoning. Her record on race remains untouched, unrepudiated, and completely intact.
Some commentators have pointed to her recent support for extending ACA subsidies and her demand that the Epstein files be released. Those positions are being framed as evidence of a “new” Greene — one willing to break with her base. But supporting health-care subsidies or transparency measures does not erase the years she spent amplifying racist rhetoric, pushing white-nationalist conspiracies, and targeting marginalized communities. These votes are transactional, not transformational. They reflect political calculation, not a newfound commitment to justice or equality.
The clearest indicator is her silence. Greene has never apologized for the racist statements she made or the hate she promoted. She has never corrected her anti-Black rhetoric, her anti-Asian slurs, her Islamophobic claims about Muslim members of Congress, or her antisemitic conspiracy theories. Silence, in this context, is not restraint. It is confirmation. When a public official refuses to repudiate their racism, that racism stands. It remains part of their public record and part of their political identity.
Donald Trump’s decision to label her a “traitor,” and the backlash she now faces — including reported threats against her and her children — does not change that record. No one deserves threats or violence, including her. But being targeted by the very extremists she once aligned herself with does not transform her worldview. It only reveals the volatile, punitive nature of the movement she helped strengthen. Her conflict with Trump is about loyalty and obedience, not about principles or justice.
This is an internal MAGA dispute, not an ideological shift. Nothing about Greene’s resignation signals a break from white-nationalist politics or the racist narratives she normalized. She has not acknowledged harm, taken accountability, or made any attempt to repair the damage she caused. Without that work, there is no transformation. There is only strategy.
For readers who want a detailed, documented record of her explicit, implicit, overt, and covert racism — including anti-Black statements, anti-Asian slurs, white-nationalist alliances, Islamophobia, antisemitic conspiracies, and dog-whistle rhetoric — see the Appendix: Documented Record of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Racism. That appendix provides the receipts: the full list of incidents, statements, and alignments that make clear why her resignation should not be misread as evolution.
A “heel turn” requires honesty, responsibility, and a genuine departure from past behavior. Greene has offered none of that. She is walking away from Congress under pressure, not walking toward justice.
For those committed to racial justice, the conclusion is clear: she does not deserve leeway. We evaluate public figures by their patterns, their actions, and the impact of their power. Greene’s record is one of consistent, unapologetic racism. A softer tone, timed to political backlash, does not erase or disrupt that reality.
Her resignation marks the end of her term — not the end of her racism.
Appendix: Documented Record of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Racism
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Overview
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Purpose of This Appendix
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Key Categories of Racist and Bigoted Conduct
3.1 Anti-Black Racism
3.2 Targeted Attacks on Black Women Members of Congress
3.3 Anti-Asian Racism
3.4 Antisemitism
3.5 Islamophobia
3.6 Anti-Immigrant Xenophobia
3.7 Anti-LGBTQ Hate Speech
3.8 Support for Political Violence
3.9 Conspiracy Theories Rooted in White Supremacy -
Chronological Record of Major Incidents
4.1 2018
4.2 2019–2020
4.3 2021
4.4 2022–2023
4.5 2024–2025 -
Institutional Condemnation
5.1 Congressional Actions
5.2 Civil-Rights Organizations
5.3 Media and Public Accountability -
Structural and Systemic Significance
Vernellia R. Randall, Professor Emerita of Law, University of Dayton School of Law. This article was drafted with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model. All content has been reviewed and edited by Vernellia Randall to ensure accuracy and coherence.
