WASHINGTON — In a surprising turn, former President Donald Trump has severed ties with one of his most loyal supporters in the MAGA community, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. Trump referred to her as “‘Wacky’ Marjorie” and declared his intention to back an opponent against her in the upcoming midterm elections, should a suitable candidate emerge.

This public rift marks the culmination of a brewing conflict between Trump and Greene, who once embodied the “Make America Great Again” spirit, notably donning the iconic red cap at President Joe Biden’s 2024 State of the Union address. Greene previously acted as a liaison between Trump and Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill, but recent months have seen her adopt a more moderate stance. She has increasingly clashed with Republican leadership, notably criticizing their handling of the recent federal shutdown and advocating for a plan to assist those losing health insurance subsidies.

Trump criticized Greene, accusing her of veering “Far Left” and claiming that her recent actions amounted to nothing more than “COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN!” He also expressed annoyance over Greene’s alleged frustration with his unreturned calls, stating, “I can’t take a ranting Lunatic’s call every day.”

Responding on social media platform X, Greene accused Trump of attacking and lying about her. She shared a screenshot of a message she claimed to have sent him earlier that day, urging him to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, which she suggested was the trigger for his outburst.

Greene expressed bewilderment at the situation, pointing to Trump’s intense opposition to the release of the Epstein files, which has become a point of contention ahead of a U.S. House vote on the matter next week.

Writing that she had supported Trump “with too much of my precious time, too much of my own money, and fought harder for him even when almost all other Republicans turned their back and denounced him,” Greene added, “I don’t worship or serve Donald Trump.”

Trump’s post seemingly tied a bow of finality to fissures that widened following this month’s off-cycle elections, in which voters in the New Jersey and Virginia governor races flocked to Democrats in large part over concerns about the cost of living.

Last week, Greene told NBC News that “watching the foreign leaders come to the White House through a revolving door is not helping Americans,” saying that Trump needs to focus on high prices at home rather than his recent emphasis on foreign affairs. Trump responded by saying that Greene had “lost her way.”

Asked about Greene’s comments earlier Friday as he flew from Washington to Florida, Trump reiterated that he felt “something happened to her over the last month or two,” saying that, if he hadn’t gone to China to meet leader Xi Jinping, there would have been negative ramifications for jobs in Georgia and elsewhere because China would have kept its curbs on magnet exports.

Saying that people have been calling him, wanting to challenge Greene, Trump added, “She’s lost a wonderful conservative reputation.”

Greene’s discontent dates back at least to May, when she announced she wouldn’t run for the Senate against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff, while attacking GOP donors and consultants who feared she couldn’t win. In June, she publicly sided with Tucker Carlson after Trump called the commentator “kooky” in a schism that emerged between MAGA and national security hardliners over possible U.S. efforts at regime change in Iran.

That only intensified in July, when Greene said she wouldn’t run for governor. Then, she attacked a political “good ole boy” system, alleging it was endangering Republican control of the state. Greene embarked on a charm offensive in recent weeks, with interviews and appearances in media aimed at people who aren’t hardcore Trump supporters. Asked on comedian Tim Dillon’s podcast if she wanted to run for president in 2028, Greene said in October, “I hate politics so much” and just wanted “to fix problems” – but didn’t give a definitive answer.

That climaxed with an appearance on Bill Maher’s HBO show “Real Time,” followed days later by a Nov. 4 appearance on ABC’s “The View.” Some observers began pronouncing Greene as reasonable as she trashed Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana for not calling Republicans back to Washington and coming up with a health care plan.

“I feel like I’m sitting next to a completely different Marjorie Taylor Greene,” said “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin.

“Maybe you should become a Democrat, Marjorie,” said co-host Joy Behar.

“I’m not a Democrat,” Greene replied. “I think both parties have failed.”

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Jeff Amy contributed reporting from Atlanta. Meg Kinnard can be reached at https://x.com/MegKinnardAP