International- Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kevin McCarthy say people shouldn't protest if Trump gets indicted.
- "I don't think people should protest this, no," McCarthy said, adding that "we want calmness out there."
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Sunday said MAGA supporters shouldn't protest even if former President Donald Trump is indicted in New York.
Trump on Saturday called for Americans to "protest" and "take our nation back" if he's indicted, claiming without evidence that he would be arrested on Tuesday.
But at a Sunday press conference during a House Republicans' retreat in Orlando, McCarthy urged people to remain calm, reported NBC News.
"I don't think people should protest this, no," said McCarthy, per NBC News. "And I think President Trump, if you talk to him, he doesn't believe that, either."
He added that he believed Trump simply wanted his supporters to "educate people about what's going on," The Hill reported.
"If this was to happen, we want calmness out there," McCarthy said, per NBC News.
Greene, the Georgia congresswoman and die-hard Trump loyalist, tweeted on Sunday evening that MAGA supporters "don't need to protest" any possible indictment.
"These idiots are sealing their own fate in 2024 because the silent majority has two feelings right now about the current regime. Fear and anger," Greene wrote.
Her tweet aligns with some pundits' beliefs that an indictment will boost Trump's presidential campaign instead of damaging his chances. They, like Greene, predict that voters will find the New York case outrageous and cleave to the former president.
Trump himself told reporters on March 5 that an indictment would "probably enhance my numbers, but it's a very bad thing for America."
On Sunday, Greene also told reporters that Americans have the right to assemble and protest, but said she agreed with McCarthy telling people not to take to the streets, per Politico.
"Of course, President Trump means peaceful protests," Greene added, per the outlet. Trump has not said if these protests should be peaceful.
Although Greene's Sunday comments are a rare case of her diverging from Trump's rhetoric — both she and McCarthy defended the former president by blasting the Manhattan district attorney's investigation into the hush-money case.
"Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump," McCarthy tweeted, saying he'd told House committees to investigate the public prosecutors.
Greene, who became an ally of McCarthy's during his ascension to House Speaker, reposted his tweet, calling the DA's investigation "the Democrat's weaponization of government and political persecution in the taxpayer's dime."
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is now investigating if the payments to the adult film actress, Stormy Daniels, are an illegal Trump campaign expense and violate New York election laws. There is a chance that Trump will be indicted after one more witness testifies before a New York grand jury.
Representatives for Trump, Greene, and McCarthy did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comments sent after business hours.