Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is again being dragged across the internet for questionable comments. This time, the congresswoman is getting mocked for her attempts to paint Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., as an aggressive Black man for two recent confrontations the legislators have had.
Greene took time during comments to reporters on Thursday as she launched a longshot bid to impeach President Joe Biden to call out Bowman by name for two “aggressive” incidents. She referenced Bowman as one of many angry New Yorkers who heckled Greene in New York City last month when she came to support Donald Trump during the former president’s indictment. Greene also referenced a meeting between herself and Bowman on the steps of Capitol Hill this week, claiming she “felt threatened by him” as they exchanged words.
Of course, the “aggressive” Capitol Hill confrontation was captured on camera and posted by numerous sources. Both Bowman and Greene talk loudly and gesticulate during the conversation. Bowman calls for “no more MAGA” and warns Greene the Republicans are “hanging by a thread,” while Greene chants “impeach Biden” and calls Bowman “not very smart” for not believing right-wing talking points. But neither makes any aggressive or violent moves toward the other.
“She ain’t worth it, bro,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who approached Bowman at the end of the clip, said.
Many people pointed out the race-baiting nature of Greene’s comments about Bowman. For example, political strategist Atima Omara tweeted how easily Greene played “the white woman victim against the Black male aggressor without any subtlety.”
“MTG is laughing and shouting back at Bowman. There is no sense at all that he is threatening her or that she feels threatened,” NBC host Medhi Hasan noted about the clip. “She just lied later, in order to push a racist anti-Black trope.”
Multiple people reminded Greene of her instances of aggression and public harassment. Most notably, many posted a 2019 video of Greene, before running for Congress, following and screaming at David Hogg, a teenage survivor of the Parkland school shooting turned gun control advocate, while accusing him of being a paid political operative.
“MYG is fine with harassing David Hogg. She’s not fine with being called out by Jamaal Bowman,” one user who posted the clip of Greene, labeled a “conspiracy theorist,” haranguing Hogg, said.
Marcus Flowers, Greene’s Democratic opponent in the 2022 election, reminded voters, “As someone who ran against Marjorie Taylor Greene, I saw MAGA extremism up close. It is frightening and we cannot allow the Greene Team to continue to gain control.”
Finally, Rep. Bowman himself released a statement Thursday about Greene’s comments. Noting that “being characterized as ‘threatening’ or ‘intimidating’” is “what happened with Emmett Till, with Mike Brown, and with so many more” Black men and boys, Bowman went on to say, “Marjorie’s attack is beyond a dog-whistle,” and “she has put a target on my back.”
Given her track record, it’s unlikely Greene will back down or stop using such racially tinged tactics to lash out at her opponents, even as she engages in harsh words and behavior against those who disagree with her far-right stances. Meanwhile, social media users will quickly call out Greene and others on their race-baiting and hypocrisy.
