Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has again thrown herself at the center of controversy over her embrace of claims that the government and humans are “controlling” the severe weather as Hurricane Milton barrels toward Florida.
In the wake of widespread devastation from Hurricane Helene, the Georgia Republican has shared various conspiracy theories online suggesting the government is in control of the weather and can summon hurricanes as a result.
In this case, her social media posts have also come amid increased worries that misinformation about Hurricane Milton and its dangers could lead people to make poor decisions about keeping themselves safe.
Some of Greene’s Republican colleagues were quick to call her out for sharing the weather claims, while President Biden referenced her Wednesday in remarks about misinformation ahead of Hurricane Milton’s expected landfall in Florida.
Greene first posted about the hurricanes on Oct. 3, when she shared an image of Helene superimposed on a map of the 2020 election results. The map was made by influencer Matt Wallace, who claimed the storm “seemed to almost methodically miss the bluest parts” of “crucial swing states, while simultaneously ravaging the red parts.”
Greene did not attach text to her own post of the map, though some users suggested she was implying the hurricane was set to specifically hit Republican-leaning counties ahead of the November election.
Later that day, Greene wrote on the social platform X, “Yes, they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”
A community note, intended to add context to posts on X, was attached to Greene’s post. It states weather manipulation is “possible at small scales” but........