Americans are 'tired of being engaged in foreign wars' — former US lawmaker

Lead

Former US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (Republican, Georgia) has said that a large number of Americans are “tired of being engaged in foreign wars” that have nothing to do with defending the United States. In an interview with TASS, she commented on the US–Israeli operation against Iran and criticized the Trump administration’s foreign policy, as well as the influence of the defense industry on Congress.

Coverage comparison

TASS reported on Greene’s remarks in two separate articles. The first, dated July 3, focused on her comments about the economic costs of the war with Iran and her criticism of President Donald Trump for failing to fulfill his campaign promise to end US military interventions abroad. The second, dated June 30, centered on Greene’s assertion that the US defense industry profits from wars and exerts significant influence on Congress. Both articles relied on direct quotes from Greene and provided context about her role in the MAGA movement and her recent rift with Trump.

Key claims

Greene said that Trump had firmly pledged during his reelection campaign to end US military interventions abroad but failed to implement that undertaking. She said, “It’s also a broken campaign promise. He promised no more foreign wars and that’s what people voted for. It was one of the most important things to me about the 2024 campaign because so many Americans are tired of being engaged in foreign wars and paying for them and our military being used. And it doesn’t defend our homeland at all.”

She argued that the war with Iran had imposed significant economic costs on the United States. Even if peace talks between Washington and Tehran continue, she predicted it would take months before fuel prices begin to fall again and inflation eases. “We’ve seen inflation go up and we’ve seen gas prices go up. And I think if the peace talks hold, if the ceasefire holds, it’ll still take months and months for gas prices to come back down and inflation. And I don’t think the inflation will come down very easily. And so this is a direct cost to the American people,” she said.

Greene also argued that Trump and his administration had protected criminals in the “deep state” and failed to clear the ground in Washington. The term “deep state” refers to influential networks within the federal government that are believed to exert behind-the-scenes influence over US political and economic affairs.

In the earlier interview, Greene described the US defense industry as profiting from wars. “It seems like war never ends, does it? Well, it’s because war is a business. That’s really the dirty truth of all of this,” she said. She noted that without war, defense companies could not continue to sell their weapons, including “their latest, greatest designs of drones, and airplanes, and bombs, and all types of weapons.” She added that “a lot of these wars are about using up old ammunition so that the United States government can buy the new ammunition” that these companies produce.

Greene stressed that the American military-industrial complex and its lobbyists, along with their donors, are incredibly influential, and she described the industry as a “true evil.” She also lamented the significant influence that the defense industry and its lobbyists exert on the work of Congress.

Background

Greene was until recently regarded as one of President Trump’s closest allies and a leading figure in the MAGA movement. However, according to TASS, Trump severed ties with her several months ago due to her sharp criticism of Washington’s military interventions abroad and Israel’s operation in the Gaza Strip.