Marjorie Taylor Greene clashes with reporter over Jewish space lasers conspiracy theory
Hello and welcome to the latest edition of our weekly recaps for the upcoming 2024 US presidential election. After another eventful week in US politics that reached its climax with the Super Tuesday primary elections, we decided to zoom in on a viral video that raised some eyebrows in the US and the UK. You guessed it, we’ll be covering that viral clip with Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Majorie Taylor Greene insults UK reporter after being asked about conspiracy theories
If US politics is a circus, Greene has proven time and time again that she is one of the main attractions at the centre of it.
This week the Republican congresswoman for Georgia’s 14th district made headlines for telling The News Agents reporter Emily Maitlis to “f*ck off” after the journalist questioned Greene’s beliefs in several right-wing conspiracy theories. Didn’t catch the clip? No problem, let’s dig into it, shall we?
View this post on Instagram
During the brief interview, Greene was asked about her opinion on Trump’s former opponent Nikki Haley and whether or not she could see the former US ambassador as a potential running mate for the ex-president.
“We’ve been encouraging her to drop out and support President Trump and I think tonight is the clear message that President Trump is the clear front runner,” Greene stated, commenting on Trump’s landslide victory during Super Tuesday.
In regards to Haley’s future as a Vice President, the conservative politician answered: “No, I don’t think Nikki Hayley should be on that list. Of course, President Trump will choose who he wants for VP.”
When Maitlis then interrupted Greene to ask if she would like to be on the list herself, the congresswoman replied: “He’s got a long list. I support Trump in any way and any way he’d ask me,” she replied coyly.
Now, on to the grand finale of the interview. Daring as ever, Maitlis decided to quiz Greene on why so many Republican politicians support conspiracy theories. In case you weren’t aware, Greene has become well known for endorsing multiple far-right conspiracies, such as the white genocide conspiracy theory, QAnon, Pizzagate, and multiple theories around corruption or collusion during the COVID-19 pandemic. You know, the usual stuff.
“Can you tell me why so many people that support Donald Trump love conspiracy theories, including yourself? He seems to attract lots of conspiracy theorists,” the reporter asked.
Greene, clearly not expecting the question, reacted defensively: “Well, let me tell you, you’re a conspiracy theorist. And the left and the media spreads more conspiracy theories. We like the truth, we like supporting our Constitution, our freedoms, and America First.”
Still not satisfied, Maitlis asked the MAGA Republican: “What about Jewish space lasers? Tell us about Jewish space lasers,” alluding to Greene’s endorsement of a conspiracy that “state-of-the-art Jewish space lasers” were used to shoot down Santa Claus.
“Why don’t you go talk about Jewish space lasers,” Greene snapped at Maitlis. “And really, why don’t you f*ck off? How about that?”
While people acknowledged Maitlis’ attempt to bait the Republican into an incendiary comment—which would make sense considering her status as a political punchline—the congresswoman’s use of profanity and unelegant way of handling the situation was also widely condemned.
Majorie Taylor Greene told one of Britain’s most respected journalists, Emily Maitlis, to ‘f*ck off’.
— Gavlar 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@Gavlar) March 6, 2024
Americans may not know Maitlis. She was the journalist who interviewed Prince Andrew on BBC’s Newsnight, He was relieved of his royal duties after that interview https://t.co/cj7rio9CpW
This is precisely the way to interview Marjorie Taylor Greene. Ask her about Jewish space lasers everytime a microphone is placed in her face. https://t.co/SN67Vph7Gc
— Gordon McClendon🇺🇦 (@GordonMcClendon) March 6, 2024
Emily Maitlis’s very British interview prompted the most American response from Marjorie Taylor Greene and it’s just magnificent
— Dazz (@DazzDzatron) March 6, 2024
https://t.co/6jAFIjxSql
Still, the question remains: why are so many Republicans invested in conspiracy theories? Well, we might not have that particular answer, but we do have an insight into some of the craziest theories conservatives are a fan of.
The craziest conspiracy theories Republicans have endorsed
The Capitol riots
Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy called the January 2021 Capitol riot an “inside job” during a CNN town hall. “If you had told me three years ago… In any way that 6 January was an inside job, the subject of government entrapment, I would have told you that was crazy talk, fringe conspiracy-theory nonsense,” the politician explained. “I can tell you now, having gone somewhat deep in this, it’s not.”
Ramaswamy continued to argue that rioters were asked into the Capitol and that the riot was somehow staged or instigated by federal agents.
Taylor Swift and the Trump endorsement
Another theory that found an incredible amount of support within the Republican party is the one that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship was part of a “covert government effort” to re-elect President Biden in 2024. Ramaswamy suggested that the couple was artificially propped up by the media to give Swift a boost she could then use to throw her support behind Biden.
I wonder who’s going to win the Super Bowl next month. And I wonder if there’s a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple this fall. Just some wild speculation over here, let’s see how it ages over the next 8 months.
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 29, 2024
About one-third of Republicans said that they believe Taylor Swift is involved in this plot, a poll published by Monmouth University found. You do realise that this woman is incredibly busy?
The Great Displacement Theory
Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson has been accused of promoting the Great Displacement Theory in the past, which purports that white European populations are being demographically and culturally replaced by non-white peoples, especially from Muslim countries.
“This administration wants complete open borders. And you have to ask yourself why? Is it really they want to remake the demographics of America to [ensure] that they stay in power forever?” he stated in an interview with Fox News in April 2021 when asked about Vice President Kamala Harris’s approach to immigration politics.
Chinese influence in US politics
On Sunday 3 March 2024, Kansas senator Roger Marshall went on Fox News to spread a conspiracy theory that massage parlours owned by Chinese Americans are part of a decades-long scheme by the Chinese government and the Chinese Triad gang to infiltrate the US.
Marshall claimed that these massage parlours and other Chinese-American-owned businesses in Kansas were part of “the next chapter” in deceased dictator Mao Zedong’s plan to wield a nefarious influence over US politics. MSNBC dubbed it as a rant steeped in damaging stereotypes.
It should be noted that many Americans from all sides of the political spectrum believe in various conspiracy theories for differing reasons. Nevertheless, there is some research that suggests that Republicans and Conservatives have shown a stronger tendency to believe in conspiracy theories than Democrats and liberals.
So, with all this in mind it will be interesting to see the next conspiracy about sinister and nefarious ongoings that grip the US. Whenever it emerges, we’ll be here to report on it. See you next week!
