Rep. Ilhan Omar said Democrats should respond with “grace” toward former supporters of President Donald Trump who have broken with him, arguing that Americans must work together to protect the country’s institutions and values.
Speaking Sunday on the podcast “Pod Save America,” the Minnesota Democrat reacted to comments from former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, once one of Trump’s closest political allies, who has recently become one of his sharpest conservative critics.
Podcast co-host Tommy Vietor played a clip of Greene saying Trump is “not the same man” she and other supporters once backed. Greene, who has criticized Trump over the war in Iran and the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, even suggested earlier this month that he could be removed from office under the 25th Amendment after his threat to “end Iranian civilization” sparked controversy.
“The truth is, look, you may have supported President Trump for 10 years, like I did and like you have, but this is not the same man,” Greene said in the clip. “This is not the same man that we supported.”
Vietor noted that Greene is not alone. A number of prominent conservative figures and longtime MAGA supporters have distanced themselves from Trump in recent weeks, particularly over his foreign policy decisions and growing turmoil within his political movement.
Asked how Democrats should respond, Omar said Americans should put aside partisanship and focus on preserving “everything that is good in our country.”
“I think as Americans, it is really important for us to work together,” Omar said, “and to support leaders that we can trust to safeguard what is good about our country.”
Omar said the most striking thing about figures like Greene is that they are not merely criticizing a single Trump policy, but are instead rejecting him outright.
“They’re saying, ‘I am done with you,’” Omar said.
Vietor agreed, describing the split as a “values-based” break rather than a disagreement over policy.
Omar said Democrats should recognize that shift and give defectors credit for what she called a political “wake-up call.” She argued that many former Trump supporters are beginning to see him as a “corrupt” and “chaotic” figure motivated more by personal ambition than principle.
