Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene tells Emily Maitlis to ‘f*** off’
Far-right US politician Marjorie Taylor Greene has told journalist Emily Maitlis to “f*** off” after the former BBC news anchor asked about her aspirations to become vice president alongside Donald Trump – and conspiracy theories.
Maitilis, co-host of The News Agents podcast, approached the Republican at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago headquarters on Super Tuesday, when 15 states took to the polls to vote in primary contests.
Their filmed exchange started cordially, with Maitlis asking Ms Taylor Greene about Nikki Haley, Mr Trump’s last remaining Republican rival despite the former president largely expected to win the party’s nomination.
“It’s time for Nikki Haley to drop out and support him,” replies Ms Taylor Greene, representative for the US state of Georgia.
The conversation then turns to potential candidates for the position of vice president were Mr Trump to win, in what looks increasingly likely to be a rematch with US President Joe Biden in November’s presidential elections.
Ms Taylor Greene says she doesn’t believe Ms Haley should be appointed vice president. When asked whether she would want to be on the list of candidates for the position, she said: “I support President Trump in any way, any way he’d ask me.”
Maitlis then asks Ms Taylor Greene why Mr Trump, 77, “seems to attract lots of conspiracy theorists”.
The conversation rapidly escalates, with the politician accusing Maitlis of spreading conspiracies.
The British journalist presses on and asks about “Jewish space lasers” – an apparent reference to Ms Taylor Greene once expressing support for an anti-Semitic claim suggesting a space laser was used to deliberately start a California wildfire.
Ms Taylor Greene retorts: “Why don’t you go talk about Jewish space lasers and really why don’t you f*** off, how about that?”
The politician walks off as Maitlis replies: “Thanks, thank you very much.”
Before arriving in Congress, Ms Taylor Greene also voiced support for the unfounded conspiracy theory by QAnon, claiming that elite Democrats are part of a cabal of Satan-worshipping paedophiles and cannibals.
It is not the first time Ms Taylor Greene has attracted attention because of her foul-mouthed replies to journalists.
In mid-February, she made headlines for telling the Foreign Secretary, Lord David Cameron, to “kiss my ass” after he urged the US Congress to pass a multibillion-dollar foreign aid package for Ukraine, which has been criticised by Mr Trump.
In an article for US political website The Hill, Cameron said he would “drop all diplomatic niceties” to call on Washington to vote through the package for the sake of global security, warning: “I do not want us to show the weakness displayed against Hitler in the 1930s.”
Asked about his comments, Ms Taylor Greene told Sky News: “David Cameron needs to worry about his own country, and frankly, he can kiss my ass.”
