Trump withdraws support for Marjorie Taylor Greene

(Reuters) -President Donald Trump withdrew his endorsement of Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene on Friday, citing criticism his long-time supporter has recently made about his agenda.

"I am withdrawing my support and endorsement of 'Congresswoman' Marjorie Taylor Greene, of the great state of Georgia," Trump posted on Truth Social late on Friday.

Greene, a member of the House of Representatives, has long been a reliable ally and fierce defender of Trump but in recent weeks she has taken positions at odds with the White House and some of her fellow Republicans.

Trump posted that all he sees Greene doing is "complain, complain, complain." He said the conflict between them began after he shared a poll with her indicating she had little chance of winning a Senate or gubernatorial race without his endorsement, which he did not intend to give.

The president added that conservative voters in Greene's district might consider a primary challenger and that he would support the right candidate against her in next year's midterm election.

Greene, who has largely avoided criticizing Trump directly, responded by posting on X that he “just attacked me and lied about me.”

She suggested he may have been responding to her efforts to get his administration to release any records it has on the case of the late Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender. Trump has dismissed the furor over the Epstein case as a "hoax" pushed by Democrats.

Greene accused Trump of trying to intimidate other Republicans ahead of a vote next week on releasing the Epstein files, calling it “astonishing really how hard he’s fighting to stop the Epstein files from coming out that he actually goes to this level.”

In recent weeks she has also called Trump's rollout of trade tariffs "bumpy" and criticized his foreign policy focus, saying she wants him to prioritize domestic issues. Greene has also disagreed with Trump's contention that inflation is under control and has said Republicans need a plan to address healthcare costs.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose and Ismail Shakil; Editing by William Mallard)