Spurned in Kissimmee, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene welcomed warmly at Ormond biker bar

ORMOND BEACH – A day after Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene had an event canceled by a Kissimmee resort, she was welcomed by an appreciative crowd at a rally at an Ormond Beach biker bar.

Greene, a Georgia Republican and right-wing supporter of Donald Trump, criticized for her long history of making controversial statements and advancing conspiracy theories, signed copies of her new book at the Iron Horse Saloon on Sunday afternoon.

Greene covered familiar ground, defending those who were arrested for the Jan. 6, 2001, riot at the U.S. Capitol, calling them “political prisoners,” decrying what she sees as the U.S.’s open border policies and other issues.

The main event was a fundraiser for RD Club 40, a nonprofit group that partnered with Bikers Against Trafficking in a poker run to raise money for victims of sex trafficking, said Ken Smith, president of the club.

From Orlando to Ormond Beach

The Kissimmee event, hosted by the Republican Party of Osceola County, was supposed to be held at the Westgate Resort on Saturday but was canceled after news outlets and social media reported it was a commemoration of the attack on the Capitol.

Greene once suggested the attempt to seize control of the Capitol would have succeeded if she were in charge and “it would have been armed.” She later called the comment a sarcastic joke.

Smith said RD Club 40 and Bikers Against Trafficking are not political, but said he believed her presence helped bring attention to the nonprofits’ efforts and goals. About 100 people heard her speak.

Smith said he learned that Greene was touring Florida early this year so he invited the congresswoman to do her book signing at the Ormond Beach biker bar.

A behind-the-scenes look at Jan. 6

Greene’s book is titled MTG. The cover portrays a U.S. flag with a silhouette of Greene in the center. She said the book is about policies she supports and what she is trying to do to straighten out “the problems we have and save America.”

Green said her book focuses on the behind-the-scenes stories of the Jan. 6 incident including visits to jailed rioters.

U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green pauses during a speech to sip on a beverage at the Iron Horse Saloon in Ormond Beach on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024.

She thanked RD Club 40 and Bikers Against Trafficking for their efforts to help curb human trafficking, which she also said America’s open borders facilitate.

Greene said she was very proud that she “objected to certify Joe Biden’s electoral college vote,” to rounds of applause. “And I would do it again today and I would do it again tomorrow.”

As for the 2024?

“I am not sure about the 2024 election because President Trump is going to win, and if he doesn’t, I don’t know if I will certify the next elections either,” she said.

She also spoke of the election that she still believes was stolen by President Biden despite numerous lawsuits and investigations that failed to produce any evidence that this was true.

“You shouldn’t be shamed into saying that an election was stolen and you want it proven to you that it was stolen,” she said. “It’s like customer service they owe it to us to prove it that it was not stolen.”

A few dissenting voices

The rally was also attended by a few protestors, though they did not pay to get in.

A small group of protestors from Daytona Beach, Sebastian and Spokane, Washington, display a sign outside the Iron Horse Saloon Sunday where Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene signed books for fans and spoke about the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots and other issues.

Outside the saloon, Martha Geisler, of Sebastian, Nina Kindem, of Spokane, Washington, and Greg Plewa, of Daytona Beach, stood behind a sign that read “Republicans Against Marjorie Treason Greene.”

Geisler, a lifelong Republican, said new Republicans like Green have moved so far to the right that they mean no good for the country.

“I believe in the Constitution, all of the Constitution not just the Second Amendment. I believe Marjorie Taylor Greene committed treason and she is not a real Republican,” Geisler said of Greene’s support of the Jan. 6 events.

“I feel like Marjorie Greene is divisive and bad for our country,” said Kindem, as she waved to motorists driving by.

Plewa of Daytona Beach said he was driving by and stopped to support Geisler and Kindem. “Some of the conspiracy theories that she supports is just a waste of our time,” Plewa said.

Fees for the event included $70 for the “VIP” poker run, $40 for the regular poker run, $50 for the congresswoman’s rally, and $80 for those wanting to meet and greet with her.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene visits Iron Horse Saloon in Ormond Beach