Marjorie Taylor Greene Makes Political Statement Through Viral State of the Union Outfit

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) waits for the start of President Joe Biden's State of the Union address during a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 07, 2023. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) decided to use her outfit and a balloon to make a statement at President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.

Greene wore a white wool coat with a fur collar to the speech. She also brought a white balloon to the U.S. Capitol ahead of the address.

According to her office, the Georgia congresswoman wanted to “highlight” Biden’s lack of comment in his speech on the Chinese spy balloon that flew over the United States for days.

The congresswoman “wore her outfit to highlight something President Biden refused to address in his speech, the white Chinese spy balloon,” Greene spokesman Nick Dyer told The Hill.

“Biden refused to mention it, just like he refused to stop the intelligence gathering operation that traversed the United States and surveilled some of our most important military facilities in the country,” Dyer added.

Dyer said Greene bought the coat while campaigning against former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and fundraising for her primary opponent, Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), who is Wyoming’s new GOP lawmaker after winning the state’s House race in the 2022 midterm elections.

Her coat retails for $495 on Overland. According to the store’s website, the coat, composed of 60 percent alpaca and 40 percent wool, is “part of a collection that supports Peruvian artisans in earning fair wages while preserving their ancestral heritage.”

Pictures of Greene in the coat have gone viral on Twitter, with some mocking her look by drawing comparisons to the Disney movie character Cruella de Vil.

State of the Union

Ahead of Biden’s speech, Greene spoke to The Epoch Times explaining why she brought the white balloon to the U.S. Capitol.

“We’re demanding answers,” Greene said while holding the balloon. “President Biden can’t get away with this one. He cannot show up and claim the economy is great tonight and lie to the American people and not address the situation about the Chinese spy balloon.

In his State of the Union address, Biden referenced his order on Feb. 4 to shoot down the balloon as an example of protecting U.S. sovereignty.

“But make no mistake about it: as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did,” Biden said.

President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, as Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) applaud, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 7, 2023. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via Reuters

After Biden’s speech, Greene posted a video on Twitter explaining her takes on the address.

“He should have apologized to America for the Chinese spy balloon that he allowed to traverse across our country,” Greene said while holding the white balloon. “They knew about it on January 28th, still allowed it to enter our airspace, spied on our country, and never did a damn thing about it until it left our country on February 4.”

“Joe Biden is weak. Joe Biden can’t stand up to China,” Greene said.

While many Republicans have criticized Biden for failing to take swift action to take down the balloon, some Democrats have come to the president’s defense, including Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.).

“Although this balloon is being used by some to score political points, the facts remain: President Biden made the right call at the right time & followed the advice of America’s military leaders,” Peters wrote on Twitter on Feb. 6.

Chinese Spy Balloon

According to the Pentagon, the Chinese spy balloon, 200 feet tall and weighing a few thousand pounds, entered the U.S. air defense zone north of the Aleutian Islands on Jan. 28 and flew over Alaska and Canada, before reentering U.S. airspace over Idaho on Jan. 31.

The balloon then flew over Montana and several Midwest states, before being shot down by a U.S. fighter jet near the South Carolina coast on Feb. 4.

While floating adrift over the United States, the balloon flew near Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, hovered near Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, and came close to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.

Malmstrom houses some Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, Offutt is home to the U.S. Strategic Air Command, and Whiteman houses the B-2 stealth bomber.

The U.S. military is now trying to recover debris from the balloon.

House lawmakers are scheduled to receive a classified briefing on the Chinese spy balloon on Feb. 9.

Also on Feb. 9, the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Defense Subcommittee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the Chinese balloon.